Blurb: President Donald Trump in Tuesday's debate tried to cast racial sensitivity training offered to federal workers as "racist" and "radical," as an explanation for why his administration directed agencies to end such programs that address issues like white privilege. "We have to go back to the core values of this country," Trump said. In a year that has seen massive national protests over racial injustice, the president did not directly respond to the question of whether or not systemic racism exists in the United States.

Former Vice President Joe Biden responded by asserting that racial insensitivity does exist, and that people in the U.S. often need to be made aware of what hurts the feelings and self-esteem of others. "We can take this on and defeat racism in America," Biden said.

Trump and Biden faced off in their first debate on Sept. 29, in front of a crowd that was dramatically scaled back because of COVID-19. Thirty-five days before Election Day, the candidates covered a range of topics from the pandemic and the economy to protests over police violence.

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