It is nothing short of a shame that the first of the US presidential debates was such a disaster and the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has been arranging this feature since 1988, has been forced to accept the need to introduce structural changes to the next two items. President Trump not only kept interfering when it was Democratic Candidate Vice President Joe Biden’s turn to speak, but also interrupted the moderator on many occasions. That of course quickly reduced what should have been the most respected debate in America to a circus with both candidates trading insults instead of policy ideas on the most pressing issues facing their country and the rest of the world. Some influential voices have also called for the two remaining debates to be cancelled altogether. For one thing, President Trump’s camp found nothing wrong with their man’s conduct and, quite interestingly, also declared victory and there is literally nothing to suggest that the same approach will not be followed again. For another, the damage already done to American pride all over the world is leading an increasing number of people to actually consider abandoning precedent and charting a different course this time. Already this election has stood out because of the level of hostility between the two camps and the fact that people have started mailing their votes ahead of time in very large numbers. Yet no matter how much President Trump tries to hide behind self-created noise, he will have to confront issues like the uncontrollable spread of Covid-19 in America, especially how the government’s initial strategy of flat denial fell on its face, and increasing polarity caused by racial discrimination. No matter how much he avoids them during the debates he will have nowhere to hide when the time for the vote comes. The president’s behaviour, though not entirely unpredictable, is not only causing political embarrassment but also adding to overall market volatility. International financial markets have already been swinging wildly over the last couple of weeks, and it was only a matter of time before investors began to price in election related unpredictability, but the level of volatility that exchanges like the first debate can cause must have unnerved investors a lot more than ordinary people. Hopefully both camps will realise the necessity of civil conduct and act in a manner that will protect not just the country’s integrity but also people’s savings. *