US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, faced off in Nashville, just less than two weeks ahead of the crucial presidential elections on November 3.

A planned second debate on October 15 was cancelled after 74-year-old Trump refused to do a virtual face-off with 77-year-old Biden despite concerns over the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis. The two rivals instead attended town halls on competing for television networks.

The pair's last televised showdown spiraled into an ugly confrontation marred by interruptions and name-calling, prompting organizers to introduce mic-muting this time to try to keep things civil.

Here are key highlights from US Presidential debate of Trump and Biden:

Trump said the Obama administration left him a mess to deal with in terms of tempering relations between the United States and North Korea. Trump said during Thursday night's final presidential debate that he had warded off a war that could have threatened millions of lives, saying Obama had told him he viewed potential danger from Kim Jong Un as among the country's greatest national security threats.

Joe Biden said his son did nothing inappropriate while working for a company in Ukraine and notes Trump was the one who got impeached for dealings with that country. During the final presidential debate Thursday night, Trump noted that the former vice president's son Hunter Biden drew a large salary from a Ukrainian firm.

Trump on Thursday said that a COVID19 vaccine is "ready" and going to be announced "within weeks" to combat the deadly disease that has killed over 223,000 Americans, as he debated with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden for the final time before the presidential election.

Biden said he would push for a $15-per-hour minimum wage and rejects the idea that it would hurt small businesses. Biden said at Thursday’s debate: There is no evidence that when you raise the minimum wage, businesses go out of business.

Trump argued that the minimum wage should be left as an issue for the states to determine. He says, How are you helping your small businesses when you’re forcing wages? What’s going to happen, and what’s been proven to happen, is when you do that, these small businesses fire many of their employees.

Trump on Thursday accused China, India and Russia of not taking care of their filthy air as he justified America’s withdrawal from the landmark Paris climate agreement. ”Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy,” Trump said during the final presidential debate with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Nashville, Tennessee.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published:Oct 23, 2020 8:53 AM IST