Debates draw outsized attention amid a pandemic-gripped year

US political battle has seen its share of volatile give-and-take from both sides

Political debates are usually an entertaining footnote to the larger story of a presidential election campaign in the United States.

But in pandemic-gripped 2020, they have drawn outsized attention, starting with the first presidential debate between US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Sept 29 in Cleveland.

The contest was unique because of its myriad unending interruptions and insults.