What Went Down In The Fifth Democratic Debate

People keep pointing out that climate change hasn’t been a big issue in these debates, and they’re right — but the candidates seem to have trouble talking about it in concrete terms. They talk about how it’s an emergency and action needs to be taken, but it doesn’t feel especially substantial. Maybe that’s partially because of the questions that are being asked? It’s obviously a hugely important topic, but one where it seems difficult to have a substantive back-and-forth in a debate.

Quite the question from Mitchell. “Mr. Vice President, President Trump inherited the North Korea problem from past presidents over decades. What would a President Biden do that President Obama didn’t do in eight years?” Guess there’s some risk in claiming so much of Obama’s legacy as your own.

Harris plays to Democrats by going after Trump’s “fragile ego” regarding his approach to foreign policy, but she also shows commander-in-chief chops by arguing the president “traded a photo op for nothing” in his dealings with North Korea.