Trump Wins Big At 2020 Democratic Debate; Biden, Sanders Discuss Coronavirus Outbreak

It was frontrunner Joe Biden's debate to win and win he did -- but perplexingly didn't blast president Donald Trump and his many missteps hard enough in the fight against COVID-19.

One might think that with the coronavirus sweeping through 49 states and DC, both Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, would focus on this existential threat and Trump's bungled response to it. They did, but only for less than 30 minutes of the two hour-long debate. For much of the remaining time, however, Sanders blasted Biden for his voting record as regards the Iraq War and Social Security cuts.

Both Biden and Sanders decided it was better to tear each other apart rather than stoke voter anger against Trump for his continued downplaying of the pandemic, and his refusal to take any responsibility for his many miscues.

Biden presented himself as the best alternative to Trump in the battle against COVID-19. The first question of the night was about the coronavirus and instead of ripping Trump apart, Biden said this crisis "is bigger than any one of us. This calls for a national rallying to everybody move together."

Biden said he wants to increase testing and ensure every state has access to drive-through tests. He also said he's working to ensure there are more hospital beds. He said said he'd deal with the economic fallout "quickly."

“People are looking for results, not a revolution,” said Biden. "They want to deal with the results they need right now. And we can do that by making sure that we make everybody whole who has been so badly hurt” by the economic implications of the coronavirus.

Biden pointed to people who have lost jobs, struggled to care for their children and were impacted by health care costs in the face of the coronavirus.

“We can make them whole. Now!”

In contrast, Sanders hit Trump harder.

“First thing we have got to do, whether or not I’m president, is to shut this President up right now, because he’s undermining the doctors and the scientists who are trying to help the American people,” said Sanders. “It is unacceptable for him to be blabbering with un-factual information, which if confusing the general public.”

Sanders took Trump to task for his many mistakes in the campaign against the coronavirus. Sanders blasted Trump's handling of the outbreak. He also said Trump keeps making "absurd remarks," and called him "arrogant" and "ignorant."

"A president who had a brain in his head would have brought the scientists together and said, 'Look, how serious is this, What do we? What do we do now?' Not talk about, well, I have ... I have an unusual ability to understand the issue or it's going to all clear up," he said. "This is not what the people of this country or the world need."

Sanders also said the U.S. should profit from China's experience in fighting COVID-19.

"Now is the time to be working with China. They are learning a lot about this crisis. And in fact, we have to work with them. We have to work with the World Health Organization, we have to work with Italy. If there was ever a moment when the entire world is in this together, got to support each other, this is that moment," Sanders said.

CNN editor-at-large Chris Cilizza had a point when he said the debate gave the Trump campaign "a whole lot of soundbites to be used in the general election. Both men looked small more often than they looked big. And with the country facing a threat unlike any it's ever seen before, that felt like a major missed opportunity."

Cilizza was also right when he said Trump's "handling of the coronavirus, is the ONLY issue anyone cares about right now." And both Biden and Sanders let Trump off the hook by tearing into each other.

This review notwithstanding, the CNN panelists analyzing the former vice president's CNN-Univision debate with Sanders on Sunday ahead of the primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio on March 17 were unanimous in declaring Biden the winner.

Biden looked, acted and spoke in a more presidential manner, stayed on message (no American will have to pay for COVID-19 testing) and portraying himself as America's leader in the war against COVID-19. On the other hand, the first head-to-head debate among both elderly candidates saw Sanders revert back to type, and again push his Medicare for All agenda while again defending his defense of Fidel Castro and China.

Biden scored big on two issues. The first was his comparing the coronavirus pandemic to war, while depicting himself as the prepared to defeat the crisis.

“This is like a war, and in a war you do whatever is needed to be done to take care of your people,” said Biden.

“Everything that you need in terms of dealing with this crisis would be free,” he said. “It is paid for by the taxpayers generally. Generally. It has nothing to do with Bernie’s Medicare for All.”

The second was his promise to choose a woman as his vice president. It's good news for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, Rep. Stacey Abrams, D-GA, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN.