Donald Trump and Joe Biden debate in Cleveland on September 29, 2020. ©POOL/AFP/File Olivier DOULIERY

Washington (AFP) – The announcement that President Donald Trump has coronavirus has shaken the run up to US elections on November 3.

While the future of Trump’s campaigning efforts remains up in the air, the past week, which included one of the most chaotic presidential debates in US memory, provided a potpourri of odd and wacky moments.

– ‘Inshallah’ –

During Tuesday’s debate, as Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden went toe to toe on stage in Cleveland, Ohio, the former vice president seemed exasperated by Trump’s insistence that he would go public with his taxes, a longstanding promise on which the president has never delivered.

“When? Inshallah?” Biden retorted, using the common Arabic expression meaning “God willing.”

Incredulous viewers immediately took to Twitter wondering if they had heard correctly, with Biden’s pronouncement causing both celebration and criticism.

The discussion took a turn for the pedantic with multiple viewers questioning whether Biden had used the expression correctly. While some argued he had said “inshallah” as it is sometimes used to mean “never,” others maintained that his statement was awkward and incorrect.

– Tesla giveaway –

One man, 100,000 new voters.

Just weeks ahead of the election, influencer David Dobrik invited his 14.3 million Instagram followers to participate in a Tesla giveaway, in partnership with voting and democracy nonprofit HeadCount.

To enter a chance to win one of five Tesla vehicles, participants had to check if they were registered to vote.

Dobrik, who also has 23 million TikTok followers, 18.4 million YouTube followers and 5.5 million Twitter followers, was able to wrangle up not just a few voters.

The result: “In barely 24 hours, over 100,000 Americans have registered to vote,” HeadCount said.

– ‘Beautiful, delicious cake’ –

On Thursday, still smarting from the nationally televised debacle of a debate, moderator Chris Wallace, a widely experienced journalist, told Fox News that Trump had ruined what should have been the equivalent of a “beautiful, delicious cake.”

“I felt like I had gotten together all of the ingredients,” Wallace said. “Then, frankly, the president put his foot in it. And that was frustrating.”

Following the debate Trump claimed Wallace had joined forces with Biden and ganged up on him. Biden responded with a tweet depicting Trump as a crying baby.

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.