SAN PEDRO, Calif. — Thursday is the second and final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden. It will feature new rules, like a mute button so candidates have the chance to speak uninterrupted for two minutes, outside of open discussion.
Both President Trump and Vice President Biden have faced scrutiny in recent days. In California, two unwavering supporters shared their thoughts on the accomplishments and controversies revolving around each candidate.
Deborah Baber, from Port Hueneme, said she has been following politics for 50 years and has never seen anyone quite like President Trump.
“Amazed at how effective he was from the moment he was declared the winner of the election,” Baber said.
Baber supports President Trump wholeheartedly and in 2019, she even opened a brick and mortar shop to sell Republican merchandise. She said over the last two months, her products have been in high demand.
“Hats, shirts, flags, flying off the shelf. Buttons, anything messaging Trump. And a lot of backing the blue. A lot of law and order has really resonated with the population,” Baber said.
Over in San Pedro, Nicholas Maldonado has helped with Democratic campaigns since he was old enough to vote.
“The Obama campaign gave me all the training and his presidency inspired me and millions of young people. And since then, I just didn’t want to stop getting involved; I knew I was making a difference,” Maldonado said.
Maldonado said he’s fighting now to bring decency back into the White House.
“His whole entire public service has been about showing who he is, and who Joe Biden is. [Biden] knows what it’s like to live in a middle-class family and so he knows what it’s like to make ends meet and get ahead in this country and in the middle class and to work hard at it,” Maldonado said. “And his character has been to just coordinate and love people, even like how he did with the young boy with the stutter problem.”
Baber and Maldonado will be watching the final presidential debate closely, focused on different issues they think are most important.
“California is on fire and what are we going to do about it?” Maldonado said, pointing to climate change and COVID-19 as big issues for the state.
“I think [Trump] needs to make sure people know who Joe Biden really is,” Baber said.
President Trump vowed to question Biden on his son Hunter’s latest controversies over his alleged laptop. But Maldonado said that rhetoric is just a distraction.
“We need to just keep [Hunter’s] name out of it and focus more on how we’re going to combat COVID-19,” Maldonado said.
Biden is expected to condemn President Trump on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, especially as cases have trended upward in 48 states over the last week; yet Baber said otherwise.
“I think the president was exceptional in his handling of the virus,” Baber said.
These two said no matter what happens, they’re just hoping for what’s best for the nation, come Election Day.
“I truly hope that out of the November 3rd election, we have a clear winner,” Baber said.
“This is not a red or blue issue,” Maldonado said. “This is about the soul of the nation and we need to go ahead and vote for the ticket that will fight for us.”
Thursday’s pre-selected topics include Fighting COVID-19; American Families, Race in America, Climate Change, National Security, and Leadership. President Trump’s campaign has voiced complaints that Foreign Affairs was not included. Biden’s campaign says the commission and moderator should be able to choose and do their job freely.