Analysis | The influence of dueling town halls

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden held individual town hall conferences Oct. 15 after Trump refused to attend the scheduled debate virtually. Photos taken from NBC and ABC

When the second presidential debate, originally slated for Oct. 15, was abruptly canceled due to President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis and refusal to compromise with a virtual event, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s announcement to broadcast a town hall discussion on ABC in lieu of the original event seemed like the ultimate power play for Democratic voters.

Yet what began as an opportunity for viewers to hear Biden discuss his stances on various progressive policies rapidly warped into a polarizing tactic when Trump announced his own virtual town hall event, streamed on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC the same day and time as Biden’s.

“Most informed voters aren’t going to be using this debate as a deciding factor between the two candidates,” said President of Chapman Democrats Yusuf Baqai.

Baqai, a junior political science major, also noted that the dueling town hall format ensured that “neither of the candidates can directly attack each other,” contrary to the first presidential debate that was nationally criticized for the candidates’ frequent interruptions of one another.

“(Debates) provide information to voters and it’s important … (to contrast) two candidates speaking to each other about shared topics,” said Rachel Potucek, the communications director of the Democratic Party of Orange County. “That only works though if both candidates agree to follow the rules, and those rules are set forth to allow viewers to listen to both candidates and make the decision they need to make to go vote.”

The Trump broadcast averaged a gross total of about 13.5 million views across three channels, while Biden’s town hall averaged 14.1 million views on ABC alone. Trump’s lower viewership could be attributed in part to the backlash faced by NBC from left-leaning voters and even internal NBC employees from actors to producers, over 100 of whom protested the decision in writing.

During their respective town halls, both presidential candidates generally repeated values established in their campaign platforms. Biden continued to emphasize his plans to combat the coronavirus pandemic and public health concerns, as well as promote a motif of unity among the American people. Biden also agreed to reveal his stance on court packing before election day, a policy that he has avoided discussing in past debates. 

Meanwhile, Trump refused to speak against the QAnon conspiracy theory that pits Democrats as part of a satanic, pedophile ring. Baqai told The Panther he was frustrated at Trump’s consistent use of personal attacks to make political headway, specifically referencing Trump’s jab at Biden’s son, Hunter, as “completely irrelevant” to the integrity of the event.

Potucek noted that too often, voters view their ballot as a love letter to a specific person. In reality, she said voters’ only responsibility is to select the candidate that best aligns with their values, as the Democratic party encompasses a wide range of political ideologies from centrism to progressivism. 

“Every vote matters and every vote counts, especially in Orange County … Some of these races could come down to just a few votes,” Potucek said. “One of the things Donald Trump has repeatedly pointed to is false theories of voter fraud in order to undermine faith in democracy and our elections. This has severe consequences not just for the presidency, but every election.”

The two presidential candidates will have another opportunity to compete head-to-head at the last presidential debate Oct. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee.