How the chaos of the first debate was received at three very different watch parties

The first US presidential debate of the 2020 campaign cycle was an experience most American voters had never witnessed before: a bitter and divisive spectacle on a night in which the reality of the coronavirus pandemic was never far off.

At a debate watch party for Donald Trump supporters at Glory Days, a bar in Seal Beach near Los Angeles, servers, but few patrons, were wearing masks. The crowd cheered whenever the president landed a line they liked, but stayed mostly quiet during the section of the debate when Biden made his case for why Trump had failed the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

Several southern California Trump supporters said they felt the debate moderator, the Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, had slanted the debate against Trump, and that he had interrupted him more often and pressed him for responses on tough questions, while letting Biden get away with not answering.

A man who identified himself as a current police officer, and declined to give his name, said that Trump’s “law and order” message was crucial to him, and that he did not think Biden had spoken out in the same way as Trump in support of police during the past months of national protests over police violence towards black Americans.

This was not a crowd that was still making up their minds about Trump: “I have never made more money than I have now. I’m busier than ever, even with the pandemic,” said Lily Green, 56, an immigrant from Peru who now works in real estate in southern California, and was wearing pro-Trump gear.

Asked about the New York Times report that Trump had only paid $750 in taxes, Green said that she was sure what the president had done was legal, and she respected a businessman trying to pay as little in taxes as possible.

One of the loudest jeers of the night at the Glory Days bar was when Biden said that anti-fascists, or “antifa”, were more of an idea than an actual organization, despite Trump’s attempts to label “antifa” as “terrorists”.

Elizabeth, from Seal Beach, who declined to give her last name, was one of the people who had exclaimed in disgust at this line. She said that she believed there had been too much chaos in the country for protests to have happened spontaneously.

One Trump supporter did give Biden some credit for his demeanor during the debate: “I think that empathy is Joe Biden’s strong point,” said Sally Cohen, 78, who said the former vice-president came across as grandfatherly, even if she did not like his political record.

Viewers at online events organized by Mills College, a liberal arts college in Oakland, California, appeared staggered by how dysfunctional and overwhelming the debate was, using the chat function to untangle claims made by the candidates. “Was that a threat?” one viewer asked when Trump told the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to “stand back and stand by”.

In San Francisco, more than 100 people tuned into a live-stream watch party organized by Manny’s, a popular progressive event space, cafe and bar in the city’s Mission neighborhood.

Manny Yekutiel, the space’s founder, led a discussion ahead of the debate wearing a wig and gown. “I’m Lady Liberty!”, he exclaimed before starting the streaming event, Viewers could be seen in their respective homes, cooking food, eating, or just watching the show.

“I miss watching with friends, but seeing Manny in his wig, reacting to Trump’s comments, is honestly one of the few things keeping me going tonight,” said San Francisco resident Cambria Minott. “Manny’s creates platforms for shared experiences in our community that make all of this bearable,” she added.

“I would be in a dark hole if I didn’t have the sense of Manny’s community tonight,” said Laura Sander.