U.S. President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden faced off on Tuesday evening in the first presidential debate hosted at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace served as the debate moderator, and his topics were the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in cities, and election integrity.

The debate was one of the most combative in history, and there were a lot of vitriol, interruptions, and personal attacks between the two candidates. The chaotic nature of the debate made the policy contrast difficult, as the two had just 2 minutes to answer each question.

Biden came out swinging on the Supreme Court and argued that Trump's nominee Amy Coney Barrett would strike down the Affordable Care Act in an upcoming case, canceling insurance coverage for 20 million people and stripping over 100 million of protections for preexisting health conditions. He took the opportunity to promise to strengthen Obamacare with a public option.

In contrast, Trump attacked Biden over his criticism of Barrett and pressed over his position on packing the Court. Trump failed to offer a coherent alternative to the ACA, instead highlighting a symbolic executive order he recently signed in an effort to protect preexisting conditions and reduce prices of prescription drugs like insulin.

Then Biden hammered Trump on his handling of the pandemic, emphasizing the over 200,000 citizens who have died. He criticized Trump's refusal to hold China to account or deliver enough protective equipment to people across the country. He reiterated that he would boost manufacturing capacity to ensure people have enough masks and equipment in order to help the economy recover.

In return, Trump argued that his administration performed admirably and charged that more people would have died under a Biden administration. He also projected that a COVID-19 vaccine would debut in the upcoming weeks. He did not offer specifics and seemed to contradict his own top scientists at the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed.

On the economy, Biden touted his "Build Back Better" plan, vowing to boost domestic investment by hundreds of billions as part of an economic recovery. He also hit Trump over the new report that he paid little in taxes over a decade, which Trump strongly denied. Biden said he would support legislation to close loopholes used by wealthy individuals like Trump to avoid taxes.

Trump repeated claims about his record of growth before the pandemic recession. He called the Obama administration's economy weak and pointed to his own tax cuts and deregulation program as factors behind economic growth and low unemployment, which he would continue in a second term. He attacked Biden and claimed that Biden would shut down the country if elected.

The debate marked a new low for civility and chaos, and Trump's bizarre answers on white supremacy and election integrity sparked renewed fears over a transition crisis. While few voters are still undecided, viewers largely believed Biden won, but mainly agree that both candidates performed poorly. If the debate changes the candidates' new poll numbers, it could give Biden a small boost or Trump a tiny decline, especially in close battleground states.