For a moment, it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. But after months of preparation, the last presidential debate has taken place without any major hiccups. The event marks a milestone for Belmont University.
Twelve years after the school hosted a town hall between then-Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, the presidential race returned to the Curb Event Center. School officials say the prior event transformed how Belmont thought about itself, and they have had similarly high hopes for the second debate on their campus.
Not everyone was on board with having the debate. Students complained about disruption, and businesses around the Belmont campus said they had to shut down their operations for a couple of days.
And when cases of COVID-19 started increasing, two host campuses for the presidential debates dropped out due to safety concerns. But, Belmont stuck to it.
Then, the first debate of 2020 disintegrated into shouting, and the second got canceled after President Donald Trump tested positive for the virus.
It all meant every detail had to be rethought, from the rules on the debate stage to health and safety protocols.
But Belmont kept its promise of hosting the final clash between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. University officials say they hope that keeping their word would pay off. And it seems like it did.
There were no technical difficulties, fewer interruptions and the eyes of the world were on Nashville for a few days.
More: Read WPLN’s live blog of the Belmont debate for coverage as it happened.
