US President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden delivered starkly divergent closing arguments to the country in the final presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday, offering opposite prognoses for the coronavirus pandemic and airing irreconcilable differences on the economy, health care, climate change and immigration policy. Of all the disagreements between the two candidates, none blazed more brightly than their assessments of the American experience battling the coronavirus. Both the presidential nominees traded corruption charges against each other in the debate that was, on the whole, a more restrained affair than the first one between the two candidates last month. Trump cited unsubstantiated claims Biden personally profited from his son's business dealings. The Democrat brought up Trump's opaque taxes. Allegations and counter-allegations dominated the debate with little talk of a concrete agenda. Biden's strategy was to make the case for a referendum on Trump's 46 months in office, while the president kept asking him about his eight years as vice president. Biden has a solid lead with 11 days to go until the presidential election. But winning the most votes does not always win the election, and the margin is narrower in a handful of states that could decide the race either way. More than 47 million people have already cast their ballots in a voting surge driven by the pandemic. This is already more than voted before polling day in the 2016 election. There are about 230 million eligible voters in total. Biden's running mate Kamala Harris tweeted with an appeal for money: "Tonight, @JoeBiden not only won the debate a" he took a stand against Trump and all of the harm this administration has caused. Join us in this fight by adding a donation." Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: "President @realDonaldTrump Won Tonight's Presidential Debate Hands Down! Congratulations Mr. President! #MAGA (Make America Great Again)." — Agencies
