Five things to watch in the first Trump-Biden debate

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump and former vice-president Joe Biden square off on Tuesday in their first presidential debate. With five weeks to go until the Nov 3 general election, the stakes are high.FLASHPOINTS The face-to-face match-up comes after the New York Times revealed that Mr Trump, a wealthy former businessman and reality television star, paid only US$750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and no federal income taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years through 2017.

Both candidates will scuffle over Mr Trump's nomination of Mrs Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court. Mr Trump is using his pick to rally his conservative voter base and distract from his record on the coronavirus and other matters, while Mr Biden is warning of threats to health care and abortion rights.

With Mr Biden leading in polls, a strong outing could place Mr Trump in even worse shape. A weak one could reshape the race. Mr John Geer, an expert on voter opinion at Vanderbilt University, wonders if Mr Trump will react poorly to sharp or unfriendly queries from moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News.TWISTING THE TRUTH As Mr Trump's campaign rallies show, he can fire off falsehoods in machine-gun fashion. Examples include the Republican's common claim that the US economy was operating at historic levels before the pandemic and that the virus has largely dissipated .

DOWN IN THE MUD Mr Biden has worried aloud about reacting to Mr Trump's propensity for ad hominem attacks. On the campaign trail, the former vice president has sometimes shown flashes of temper, getting his"Irish up" as he calls it.

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