THE first television debate between President Trump and Joe Biden was a jaw-dropping affair.
With so much at stake, and politics so volatile, it turned into the anticipated personal slugfest.
Trump dominated and attacked, until an exasperated Biden told him to “please shut up” and that he was the “worst president” the US had ever seen.
This from a man described as ‘sleepy’, too old and mentally deficient.
On law and order, Mr Trump is ruthless, accusing the Democrats of refusing to condemn America’s continuing civil unrest.
And he has seized on evidence of misuse of postal votes – essential for the most vulnerable during the pandemic – to suggest that the vote in November will be invalid.
This, in turn, has led opponents to threaten they’d drag Trump out of the White House if he loses.
The problem is, who decides whether he’s lost?
On the night, it’s the so-called ‘decision desk’ at Fox News that calls the result but, if there are any doubts, Mr Trump can stay put during endless recounts.
Lest we forget, spoilt ballot papers in Florida in the 2000 election delayed George W Bush’s presidency for six weeks, while Al Gore hung on.
Eventually, the Supreme Court put the country out of its misery.
This presidential race is another nightmare for the most powerful nation on earth, already beset by the pandemic, race riots and biblical wildfires.
I hope that the enmity on display during the first of three face-to-face debates is not a foretaste of what’s to come.
At present, polls have Biden leading Trump by 50 per cent to 43 per cent.
However, in 2016, with Hillary Clinton leading by three percentage points, Trump came out on top.
For America’s sake, let’s hope for a clear result.