The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was a mess.
There was bickering, interrupting and, of course, "will you shut up, man".
Watch: Joe Biden asks Donald Trump to "shut up" at first presidential debate #Debates2020 https://t.co/F6AdsKPU39 https://t.co/VGm0kWGn9O— TIME (@TIME) 1601432084
In fact, things got so messy that the debates commission are introducing new controls to direct discussion more easily in the future.
A spokesperson for the organisation said that yesterday's debate in Ohio has "made [it] clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues".
According to speculation, this could include the ability to switch Trump and Biden's microphones off – an idea that proved popular online.
Can they mute the mic of whoever isn’t supposed to be talking— michaela okland (@michaela okland) 1601429071
While Chris Wallace of @FoxNews could have done better, let’s criticize the real party at fault - the Presidential… https://t.co/jcUkUUWYBf— David Cay Johnston (@David Cay Johnston) 1601436424
Why don’t they just mute the mic of the person not talking, there has to be rules— Dave (@Dave) 1601429406
Fox News host Chris Wallace, who chaired the debate, was criticised for failing to control the presidential hopefuls – and particularly Trump.
He reportedly said he "never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did" and that he's "sad" about the way it turned out.
Trump, on the other hand, described the debate as "fun".
Biden disagreed, calling Trump's conduct a "national embarrassment".
Biden says he understands why undecided voters who watched the first debate would feel completely turned off by pol… https://t.co/8CAn71yoeT— CBS News (@CBS News) 1601484917
He added that he "tried everything to distract, everything possible" and that the debate committee should do more to "control the ability of us to answer the question without interruptions".
In response, Trump's campaign director accused Biden of "trying to work the refs" he said, adding:
Trump was the dominant force ... they shouldn't be moving the goalposts and changing the rules in the middle of the game.
Indy100 have contacted The Commission on Presidential debates to find out whether they've made a decision on muting microphones and we'll update you if we find out.
Regardless, the next presidential debate will take place on 15 October.