What Hillary Clinton Said About The Debate Has People Talking

The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump on Sept. 29, 2020 was quite a show, and even Hillary Clinton was tuned in and engaging with people on Twitter about it. 

The debate wasn't much of a debate, per se. Really, more of a screaming match between the two candidates, who talked over each other and moderator Chris Wallace. At one point, the former vice president blurted out, "Will you shut up, man?" at President Trump. Wallace even asked the president to step back a little, saying, "I think the country would be better served if we allowed both people to speak with fewer interruptions. I'm appealing to you, sir, to do that." When Trump pushed back that the moderator should ask Biden to stop interrupting, too, Wallace responded, "Well, frankly you've been doing more interrupting."

Trump does have a habit of talking over his opponents (or even reporters), and voters saw it in the last presidential debates in 2016 between him and Hillary Clinton. She was on everyone's mind during the first debate, and writer Jill Filipovic tweeted, "'Will you shut up, man' is the line of the night. I feel so sorry for Hillary right now because I'm positive she wanted to say that and couldn't." Hillary had something to say about that. 

While the debate between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump was contentious, it wasn't totally a surprise that Biden couldn't get a word in edgewise. Trump has a reputation for being aggressive, as people on both sides of the aisle agree. Back in 2016, Trump behaved similarly on the debate stage with Hillary Clinton, which is why writer Jill Filipovic tweeted that she felt bad the former candidate couldn't just yell "shut up" to Trump when she wanted to. Clinton was on social media during the debate and seemingly confirmed Filipovic's assumption by responding to the tweet with a simple: "You have no idea." Remember, Clinton and Trump took to the debate stage three times in 2016, and it was in the third one that he called her a "nasty woman." 

Biden being able to tell Trump to shut up was one of the more memorable moments of the first debate in September 2020, but paired with Clinton's tweet, it also highlighted the double standard that women face. Had Clinton told Trump to "shut up," she might have been accused of being unprofessional or emotional, while Biden was lauded for being bold enough to say what many people might have been thinking during the heated debate. 

Later in the evening, Chasten Buttigieg tweeted that he wanted to make sure Hillary Clinton was okay during the Joe Biden and President Donald Trump debate. She quote tweeted it and commented, "Thanks, I'm fine. But everyone better vote." After the debate, Clinton also tweeted in support of the Democratic candidate. "I'm so proud of @JoeBiden and more confident than ever that he's the leader with the experience we need right now. I hope you'll pitch in with a few dollars or volunteer hours at joebiden.com so we can have a real president again." So it's safe to say that she was watching fairly closely.

Clinton wasn't the only one who needed a welfare check during the debate, given that both men talked over and insulted each other. Many blamed moderator Chris Wallace for letting things get out of hand, but given Clinton's commiseration with Biden during the debate, it's safe to assume that no moderator would have been able to reign the two candidates in and have them focus on the issues. 

Because it was so difficult to watch the debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, there are many people on Twitter calling for the remaining debates to be canceled. Larry Sabato, a political analyst and professor, tweeted, "CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise." Journalist and television personality Melissa Harris-Perry added that she thinks the debates should be canceled because they are a threat to Black lives, given Trump's unwillingness to denounce white supremacist groups unequivocally and direction for the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by." 

Canceling the debates is unlikely to happen for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the next debate on October 15, 2020 is a town hall, in which the candidates will take questions from the audience. The last debate between Biden and Trump will be on October 22. Before all of that, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will debate each other as vice-presidential candidates on October 7. Given her activity on Twitter, it's likely that Hillary Clinton will be watching and commenting on those debates, too.