- Published
US President Donald Trump has refused to disavow the QAnon conspiracy theory during a town hall debate in Florida.
Asked by the moderator at the primetime event in Miami whether he would repudiate the bizarre online claims, he said he did not know anything about it.
In a simultaneous town hall debate in Philadelphia, his Democratic challenger Joe Biden declined to divulge his plans for the Supreme Court.
Opinion polls indicate Mr Biden has a solid lead over Mr Trump, a Republican.
There are 19 days until election day, but millions of early ballots have already been cast for the 3 November vote.
What did Trump say about QAnon?
The QAnon conspiracy theory holds that Mr Trump is battling a clandestine "deep state" network of political, business, media and entertainment elites, often involving Satanic plots and child trafficking.
When NBC moderator Savannah Guthrie asked Mr Trump on Thursday night whether he would reject the group, he replied: "I know nothing about QAnon."
Ms Guthrie said she had just told him about the group.
The president said: "You told me, but what you told me doesn't necessarily make it fact. I hate to say that.
"I know nothing about it, I do know they are very much against paedophilia, they fight it very hard."
Mr Trump instead targeted antifa, a loose-knit movement of mainly far-left activists blamed by the US Department of Justice for civil disorder in US cities during racial justice protests over the last few months.
"I tell you what I do know about," said Mr Trump, "I know about antifa and the radical left and I know how violent they are and how vicious they are and I know how they're burning down cities run by Democrats."
The back and forth continued as Ms Guthrie challenged Mr Trump: "You do know [about QAnon].
"I don't know," he said.
What did Biden say on court packing?
Mr Biden was asked during the ABC town hall whether he supported court packing, which means adding seats to the US Supreme Court and appointing justices to sway its ideological make-up.
Mr Biden has recently been ducking questions on the issue, as conservatives argue that the Democratic nominee is planning to tamper with the third branch of the US government, the judiciary.
The former vice-president gave conflicting answers on Thursday night, saying: "I have not been a fan of court packing. I'm not a fan."
Moderator George Stephanopoulos pressed Mr Biden on whether he would be open to expanding the court if Republicans confirmed Mr Trump's current judicial nominee for an existing vacancy on the nine-seat Supreme Court.
"I'm open to considering what happens from that point on," he said.
Mr Stephanopoulos asked the former vice-president whether voters had a right to know where he stands on the key issue.
"They do have a right to know where I stand and they'll have a right to know before they vote," he said.
"Depending on how they handle this," he added, apparently referring to the Republican confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
On a segment about law enforcement, Mr Stephanopoulos asked Mr Biden whether he believed more police officers equated to less crime.
"Yes, if they're involved in community policing, not jump squads," the Democrat replied.
He also said police officers who find themselves under physical attack should de-escalate.
"So instead of anybody coming at you and the first thing you do is shoot to kill, you shoot them in the leg," said Mr Biden.
Very different tones
Thursday night was supposed to be a presidential debate. Instead the nation was offered what was billed as "duelling town halls". But while the candidate events - aired head to head on separate networks - had the same format, that's where the similarities ended.
President Trump's evening was contentious. From the start he was pressed on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his position on mask-wearing and his views on white supremacists and the QAnon conspiracy theorists. Moderator Savannah Guthrie peppered him follow-ups when he seemed evasive. The president was quicker on his feet and more congenial than during the first debate, but there's no question he was once again playing defence.
Flip channels to the Biden town hall, and the tenor was subdued. Moderator George Stephanopoulos allowed the former vice-president to give long, sometimes circuitous answers. It had the feel of a public-interest talk show, complete with solemn readings from the US Constitution before commercial breaks.
Mr Trump's forum made for more entertaining television - and almost certainly will have attracted more viewers. But that could be a blessing and a curse if what American voters want in November is something a little more, well, boring.
How did the duelling town halls come about?
Thursday night's duelling town halls replace a cancelled second presidential debate after Mr Trump's refusal to participate virtually following his Covid-19 diagnosis.
NBC's event took place outdoors, with Mr Trump and Ms Guthrie kept at least 12ft apart, and audience members socially distanced and required to wear masks.
NBC has come under criticism for the scheduling of Mr Trump's town hall event, which was only announced on Wednesday - days after Joe Biden's Q&A was arranged.
Campaigning has picked up the pace this week, with Mr Trump holding rallies in the battleground states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Iowa, and Mr Biden travelling to Ohio and Florida.
Another presidential debate on 22 October is still scheduled to take place, though it is unclear in what format. The first debate last month descended into insults and interruptions between the two candidates.
What questions do you have about the US election?
In just three weeks, Americans head to the polls to cast their vote for Donald Trump or Joe Biden. What questions do you have for American voters? Submit your questions here and we'll put them to our voter panel.
In some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy .
Related Topics
from Via PakapNews