Donald Trump praised his administration's response to the pandemic and said he "denounced" white supremacy. At a separate event, Joe Biden criticized what he described as Trump's "panicked" response to the outbreak.
Image: Patrick Semansky/dpa/picture-alliance
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US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden fielded questions from the public in televised town halls on Thursday night.
The two events were broadcast at the same time, but in different cities — Trump was in Miami and Biden in Philadelphia.
The second presidential debate was originally scheduled for Thursday evening, but Trump backed out after organizers said that the debate would be virtual.
The town hall marked the first time Trump engaged in a debate of some kind since contracting COVID-19 on October 2. Trump's battle with the virus was centerstage of his town hall, along with his administration's handling of the pandemic.
Here are some of the evening's highlights:
The pandemic
Trump defended his response to the coronavirus outbreak and took a dig at Biden for staying away from the campaign trail in the initial stages of the pandemic.
"Hey, I am president — I have to see people, I can't be in the basement," said Trump.
When asked his opinion on wearing masks, Trump was evasive, saying that he had heard "different stories" about the efficacy of masks. He went on to praise drugmaker Regeneron's experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment, crediting it with his recovery from the coronavirus.
Trump returned to the campaign trail after recovering from the coronavirus Image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Biden accused Trump of downplaying the pandemic.
"He said he didn't tell anybody because he was afraid Americans would panic," said Biden. "Americans don't panic. He panicked."
"President Trump talks about many things which aren't accurate," he said. "If the body of scientists say that this (vaccine) is what is ready to be done, I will encourage people to take it."
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White supremacy
Trump said he would denounce white supremacy, but refused to condemn the QAnon conspiracy group. "I denounce white supremacy, I have denounced white supremacy for years."
When asked about conspiracy theories related to QAnon, Trump said he knew nothing about the movement, but insisted he knew that they were "very strongly against pedophilia, and I agree with that."
The conspiracy movement falsely claims that Trump is fighting against a global elite of pedophiles operating a child trafficking ring.
Trump tried to evade questions around a New York Times investigation on his taxes that revealed he owed $400 million (€342 million) to creditors. He conceded that he was financially "underleveraged."
Trump suggested that some of his loans were "favors to institutions that wanted to loan me money."
"When you look at vast properties like I have, and they're big and they’re beautiful and they're well located, when you look at that, the amount of money, $400 million, is a peanut, it’s extremely underleveraged. And it’s leveraged with normally normal banks. Not a big deal," said Trump.
Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris don't plan to ban fracking Image: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo/picture-alliance
Fracking, economy and the election
Biden was questioned on his views on fracking — an issue for which he and his vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris are consistently targeted by Trump.
Biden said that he would "stop giving tax breaks and subsidizing oil," but not ban fracking.
Trump reiterated his views on his administration's success in creating jobs and said next year the economy "would be phenomenal" if he was reelected. He also pledged to create a less expensive, better healthcare plan than Obamacare.
When asked whether he would accept a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, Trump said he would accept defeat if it was an "honest election."
Trump's COVID-19 outbreak: Who got infected?
Donald Trump's coronavirus infection has been followed by a chain of cases spanning the White House, Congress and his presidential reelection campaign. Many were infected after attending a White House event.
Image: The White House via Reuters
Adviser Hope Hicks
A former White House staffer, Hope Hicks had returned recently to help Trump prepare for the first presidential debate against Joe Biden. She was the first person in his surroundings to test positive for COVID-19, just hours before the president confirmed his infection.
Image: Kevin Dietsch/UPI Photo/Newscom/picture-alliance
First lady Melania Trump
Given her proximity to Trump, it was no surprise that first lady of the US also tested positive for coronavirus following Trump's infection. She received medical assistance at the White House and did not require hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center.
Image: Andrea Hanks/White House/ZUMA Wire/ZUMAPRESS/picture-alliance
Personal assistant Nicholas Luna
Nicholas Luna tested positive for COVID-19 soon after Trump did. As personal assistant, his job is to accompany Trump day and night. His job puts him in as close proximity to the president as the first lady.
Image: Andrew Harnik/AP/picture-alliance
Campaign manager Bill Stepien
Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day the president did. His diagnosis dealt a blow to a campaign he had just recently begun to head, after the departure of embattled former campaign manager Brad Parscale.
Image: Amy Newman/The Record of Bergen County/AP/dpa/picture-alliance
RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tested positive for coronavirus soon after the president and went into quarantine at her home in Michigan. Like Bill Stepien, she plays a key role in Trump's campaign and was in close contact with him in recent weeks.
Adviser Kellyanne Conway tested positive for the virus on the same day as Trump. Although she officially left the White House weeks earlier — citing the need to spend more time with her family — she attended Trump's White House ceremony to announce Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court.
Image: Andrew Harnik/AP/File/picture-alliance
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he would check himself into a hospital because of a COVID-19 infection the day after Trump's positive test. Christie had attended an event at the White House for Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett, where he was seen without a mask and not socially distancing.
Image: Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/AP/picture-alliances
Republican Senator Ron Johnson
Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson said he tested positive for COVID one day after Trump's positive test. A close ally of the president, Johnson was also at the event for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Image: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/picture-alliance
Republican Senator Thom Tillis
North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he tested positive for coronavirus a day after the president did. He, too, had attended the White House event for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Tillis, who is facing reelection this year, is a member of the Justice Committee that would process the nomination.
Image: Chris Carlson/AP/picture-alliance
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she tested positive for COVID-19 three days after the president's positive test. She indicated that she experienced no symptoms and said she would quarantine while continuing to work from home. She gave her last appearance to reporters, without a mask, hours before her positive test results came back.
Image: Alex Brandon/AP/picture-alliance
Republican Senator Mike Lee
Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee said he tested positive for coronavirus on the same day as Trump. He was also one of several people who attended the White House event for Trump's Supreme Court justice nominee. Tillis, a staunch Trump ally, is also a member of the Justice Committee that would process the nomination.
Image: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Wire/picture-alliance
Senior adviser Stephen Miller
Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump and one of his inner circle, announced he'd tested positive for COVID-19 four days after the president. In a statement, he said he'd been self-isolating and testing negative until that point. The White House said Miller is "doing well" and quarantining.
Image: Patrick Semansky/AP Images/picture-alliance
