Trump town hall: President rages against Savannah Guthrie and protesters arrested as Biden holds rival event

Trump dodges questions on Covid-19 testing

Trump didn’t nail down when he was tested and when did he know, though he confirmed he didn’t get tested daily.

“I get tested a lot,” he said.

And we’re off with Joe Biden in Philadelphia on ABC

Joe Biden is sat on stage with George Stephanopoulos — the audience is socially distanced and wearing masks.

The first question to the former vice president is on the coronavirus pandemic:  What would following the science have meant for a response to Covid-19 and what would it mean going forward?

Biden lays out how he followed the advice of Dr Fauci on large meetings and masks, while he says the president followed the stock market. He also argues that the relief bill was weighed in favour of corporations and not schools and small businesses.

Going forward Biden says we need to make sure that schools and small businesses are supplied with the funding and guidance that they need to open safely by following the science.

Does Trump support herd immunity?

“The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself,” Trump says as he talks around the question without providing a definitive answer.

A second question on Covid-19 for Biden

From a Trump voter, now undecided: Would you take a vaccine and would you mandate that everyone take it?

Biden reminds the audience of the president’s claims about vaccines and treatments and bleach. A vaccine will not be ready until the spring of next year and we need to establish a plan to distribute it.

On whether he would mandate taking it, Biden says it will depend on the efficacy of the vaccine and that enforcing mandates is difficult. He references how difficult it was to encourage mask wearing. He would not just go to governors, but also mayors and other officials to encourage them to enforce rules.

Biden says what the president says and does is important.

Trump clashes over QAnon

“I don’t know about QAnon,” Trump says when asked to denounce them.

"I just told you," Savannah Guthrie fired back.

"You told me but what you tell me doesn’t necessarily make it fact I’m sorry about that," Trump says.

What Trump does know about? “I know about Antifa”

Refusing to denounce Qanon, Trump says what he does know about them is that they’re against pedophilla.

"They are very much against paedophilia, they fight it very hard," he says.

This is already getting wild.

‘You’re not just some crazy uncle’ Savannah Guthrie clashes over Trump’s tweets

Trump said he “just retweeted” the Osama Bin Laden conspiracy, prompting Savannah Guthrie to say he’s not just some crazy uncle.

This is quickly going the way of the first debate.

Biden quizzed on the economy and taxes

What is his plan for taxes compared with the Trump tax cuts?

Biden wants to eliminate the upper tier of Trump tax cuts, not all of them. He also wants to raise corporate tax cuts to 28 per cent from 21 per cent.

He wants to make those that earn more than $400,000 pay what they did under the Bush administration.

Biden says that Moody’s says his plan would create 18 million jobs.

On the recovery from the economic effects of the coronavirus, Biden says that he believes we are in a K-shaped recovery in which the rich have recovered but the poor and middle classes have not.

Biden wants to spend the money raised from taxes on infrastructure to create jobs.

Trump commits to peaceful transfer of power

“Yes I will,” Trump says, qualifying that he wants a fair election

Trump is being asked about playing down Covid now

Why did he only ban travel from China?

There was no ‘middle ground’ between being forthcoming and keeping the country calm, Trump says

“I knew it was a big threat, at the same time I don’t want to panic the country,” Trump says.

“No, there is not a middle ground. You have to be safe, you have to be vigilant and you have to be smart.”