Their first encounter in Cleveland was not characterized by any of those words. Trump, who had been criticized for being overly aggressive in the previous debate, arrived in a more restrained manner in an attempt to revitalize his struggling campaign. However, his subdued performance was unlikely to significantly change the course of the race, which has remained unaffected by major world events. Here are six key points to take away from the final 2020 presidential debate, where they actually engaged in a debate. After the chaotic first debate, the debate commission introduced a mute feature for the opening statements of both candidates in each segment, which proved to be helpful. Trump restrained himself from interrupting as much and refrained from directly discussing Hunter Biden's military exit. He even complimented the debate moderator, Kristen Welker, for her control over the proceedings. The absence of cross-talk enabled viewers to better distinguish the contrasting views of the candidates on various important issues such as the pandemic, climate change, systemic racism, economic recovery, federal spending, and healthcare. Trump's advisers believe that he needs the election to clearly be a choice between himself and Biden. However, the contrasts between the two candidates only became apparent in the final debate after Trump's aggressive behavior in the first debate and his COVID-19 diagnosis leading to the cancellation of the second debate. With Trump trailing in the polls and over 48 million Americans having already voted, he still lacked a strong response to the pandemic. In contrast, Biden, who wore a mask on stage, immediately addressed the issue of COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of over 220,000 Americans. Biden expressed his belief that someone responsible for the high number of deaths in the United States should not continue as president. This sentiment was similar to what Sen. Kamala Harris had stated at the beginning of the vice presidential debate, and neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence had adequate responses. Trump mentioned that models had projected up to 2.2 million deaths if no action was taken, highlighting that it is a global pandemic and pointing out the decreasing mortality rates. He also claimed that the situation is improving and that the pandemic is subsiding. Hospitalizations and cases are increasing. Trump attempted to use his own hospitalization due to the virus during the first debate as a reason for the cancellation of the second debate. He stated, "I learned a lot. I learned a lot." However, he spent part of the week before the debate criticizing the nation's top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Biden stated his plan to end the virus, emphasizing his determination to do so. Despite previous claims that Trump was untouchable, it is actually Biden who has maintained strong approval ratings and front-runner status. Throughout the race, Biden has brushed off Trump's accusations of extremism with a casual shrug and a question of whether he looks like a radical socialist. "I am the party," he stated during the initial debate. On Thursday, Trump continuously tried to connect Biden with Harris' stance on health care during the primary, associating him with "AOC plus three" and attempting to link him to Sen. Bernie Sanders on health care as well. In response, Biden used his "Come on, man!" tactic once more. "He's very confused," Biden commented. "He believes he's running against someone else." He is currently competing against Joe Biden. The Democratic candidate addressed viewers directly, asking them to trust their own opinions about him after serving as vice president for eight years. He emphasized the differences in character between himself and his opponent. Biden continues to believe in himself and remains confident in the face of Trump's criticisms. This strategy has proven successful thus far. Trump finally delivered the punch that many Republicans had been anticipating, criticizing Biden for his long career in politics and lack of action on promised changes. Trump repeatedly questioned why Biden had not accomplished more in his nearly half-century in Washington, calling him "all talk, no action." Biden struggled to effectively rebut Trump's attacks during the debate. He went as far as to distance himself from President Barack Obama regarding their failure to pass an immigration overhaul, stating that it was a mistake and took too long to get it right. Dave Kochel, a Republican strategist, mentioned that the criticism of "why didn't you do it" was strong. Despite his occasional prosecution of this case, Trump demonstrated during the first debate that he could stand next to Biden and argue his point. However, his ability to campaign as an outsider has diminished now that he is a politician and an incumbent with unfulfilled promises. Trump criticized Biden by saying, "I ran because of you." However, he also struggled to connect with viewers during the debate by making references to obscure internet controversies and events that likely went over the heads of many viewers. Trump's comments lacked context, such as indirect jabs at the governor of Michigan's husband and the Obama administration. He also attacked the Biden family's business dealings without providing clear explanations. Trump's statements seemed disconnected from the average American viewer's understanding. Biden did not seem to respond to Trump's continuous use of out-of-context references, particularly regarding Hunter Biden. Trump claimed that the recent revelations made the situation even worse, referring to the emails and accusing Biden of receiving a large amount of money. However, the discussion ended without a clear resolution or impactful moment. It served as a reminder of the contrast between running against Biden and running against Hillary Clinton. Trump had previously benefited from years of negative attacks on Clinton that had influenced voters, which is not the case with Biden. Democratic strategist Meredith Kelly noted that Trump focused on right-wing theories to appeal to his base without trying to persuade others. Despite this, the candidates had significant disagreements, particularly regarding how much of the economy and schools should be closed to combat the virus. Trump strongly pushed for quickly reopening as much as possible, while Biden argued that it should only be done when it is truly safe. Trump mentioned his own hospitalization and recovery as evidence that we are adapting to living with the virus, to which Biden responded incredulously, "Learning to live with it? Come on." Trump criticized Biden for mostly campaigning from home and mocked the Plexiglas dividers in restaurants, while Biden emphasized the importance of public health and warned of a "dark winter" ahead. The candidates had civil disagreements on health care and the environment. Biden stated his intention to move the country away from the oil industry and eliminate federal subsidies, prompting a strong reaction from Trump. Progressives applauded the statement, but Democrats in energy-dependent states like Oklahoma and New Mexico distanced themselves from it. Republican strategist Colin Reed called the debate a draw. He stated that both candidates were ready in their demeanor and content. Biden just needed to maintain his momentum, while Trump needed to make a significant impact.