The second, and final, presidential debate happened on Thursday. And first off, it was a lot smoother. The Commission on Presidential Debates allowed for the candidates to be muted. Though it wasn’t used often, it still brought order when needed.

Scarily, the Plexiglas was removed in between the candidates prior to the debate. Even though both tested negative, Trump still had COVID recently as have many of the employees and advisors for him and Vice President Pence. This caused many issues on the level of safety for Biden, and everyone else. The moderator asked similar questions from the first debate, but also new ones.

As always, the candidates were asked about how they would respond to the COVID pandemic. Trump continued his rhetoric about how COVID will go away, and a vaccine will be out shortly. However, Biden laid out his plan.

He wants to institute a national mask mandate, provide guidelines and funding to states and local government on reopening safely. Biden provided a clear plan on ensuring a safe and effective vaccine, along with treatments as well. And he wants to pass a relief bill that makes Americans safer.

On the issue of healthcare, Biden explained how he wants to expand Obamacare and create a better Bidencare. He wants to keep private insurance companies, while also creating a better public healthcare option for those who cannot afford private insurance.

Trump, sadly, still has no plan. He wants to eliminate Obamacare without any replacement. In the middle of a pandemic, that would mean over 20 million Americans will lose health insurance.

For energy and the environment, Biden wants to expand and move America towards 100% renewable energy, while keeping fossil fuels but slowly eliminating them. Trump on the other hand, wants to get rid of renewable energy while expanding our dependence on fossil fuels.

In regard to taxes and spending, Trump wants to lower taxes on the wealthy, while raising taxes on the rest of us. Biden, however, wants to raise taxes on the wealthy while lowering the taxes on everyone else. Biden also wants to fundamentally change federal spending to benefit Americans.

All in all, the debate was much smoother than the first one. We finally were able to hear about both candidates’ policies and ideas. And it was good to see Biden keep his stance on trying to speak directly to the American people.

Zach Bray is a freshman political science major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].