WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are sparring over the coronavirus pandemic -- but doing so relatively politely.
In a contrast to the first debate, the two presidential contenders went more than 15 minutes before interrupting each other at Thursday night's debate.
Helped by a rule that switched off the microphone for the candidate who was not talking, the two traded sharp barbs and critiques, but at least kept their voices lowered.
Trump insisted he had done a good job with a worldwide pandemic and said the country needs to "learn to live with it."
Biden shot back: "People are learning to die with it."
Regardless, it was a markedly less bombastic opening than in the first debate, when Trump frequently interrupted and shouted over Biden. The president seemed fairly calm Thursday, talking about his own recent bout with the virus as an example of how the country can survive it.