The town halls weren't a debate — but Trump still won

The president finally did what he should have done all along

President Trump and Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock, AP Images)

I hope for the sake of the country that I was not the only person put out by the fact that there was no Thursday Night Football this week. It would be one thing if a previously scheduled game had been postponed thanks to the NFL's incoherent virus protocols, but this was the fault of a different set of suits.

Rather than debate each other on Thursday evening, Donald Trump and Joe Biden spoke at separate "town hall" events, both of which began at 8:00 p.m. This was probably inevitable after the president was diagnosed with COVID-19. The whole thing put me in mind of one of those classic rock bands that breaks up after their last and worst record, forcing fans to decide whether they want to hear the aging singer with a supporting cast of flunkies or the talented lead guitarist who can't sing to save his life.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.