When Joe Biden and Donald Trump met for the first of their televised presidential debates, you could be forgiven for mistaking the ‘debate’ for a shouting match. It was an evening defined by interruptions and attempted one-upmanship, with neither candidate coming out smelling like roses by the time it was all over, although Biden still holds the advantage in the next US President odds.

The second debate was a much more civilised affair, with both candidates allowing each other to speak more freely and without interruptions. Part of this was due to the fact that both men’s microphones were muted when the other was talking, as well as the supreme skill and tact shown by NBC journalist Kirsten Welker, who moderated the debate.

It was an altogether more toned-down version of Trump who turned up this time around, and as a result, he gave a more assured performance, although it’s difficult to gauge what effect it will have on the polls. There are times when Trump’s skill for championing his opinions as the right ones, and putting his opponent under pressure, come to the fore, and this debate was one such occasion.

Much of the President’s focus was on Biden’s son Hunter, with the Democratic candidates’ family ties one of the key areas Trump and his team are targeting in the run-up to the election. Trump was quick to attack Biden for the rumours that he allegedly profited from his son’s business ventures in foreign markets, and the President struck another familiar note when he denigrated Biden’s voting history in regards to draconian crime legislation, which led to the incarceration of large numbers of black Americans in the 1990s.

But Biden did not wilt under the spotlight, nor did he crumble under the weight of Trump’s criticism and direct line of fire. Rather, the Democratic hopeful stood his ground on most issues, and proved that he won’t be easily overcome in a war of words. Biden once again laid into Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, putting down Trump’s assertion that Americans are “learning to live” with the virus by retorting that people are “learning to die with it”.

There is the sense that Trump and his camp are waiting for Biden to make a high-profile slip-up, which would allow them to zero in on the Democrat’s age, and try to hammer home the idea that he would not be fit for the office of President. But so far, Biden has dodged every bullet shot his way, and with every debate in which the Democratic candidate stands his ground, he will gain more trust among prospective voters.

There were fewer fireworks this time around, with both candidates keeping things relatively low-key, in as much as that is possible amid such a bitterly contested campaign. But with polls suggesting that most Americans have already made up their mind as to who to vote for, perhaps the first, fierier presidential debate is the one that will have the greater impact on the way voters cast their ballot in the end.

What seems to be clear is that, in terms of the Electoral College votes, the election will be a much closer run thing than this year than it was four years ago.

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