Every four years, the curtain is lifted on Washington, D.C.

With it goes the semblance of normalcy that usually shields our eyes from the (often farcical) happenings in the political epicentre of the U.S.

This is the time that the great travelling circus hits the roads.

Its intentions are far from comical, as it seeks to appoint a new leader of the country and make that person one of the most powerful individuals on Earth.

Last time around, the best showman, Donald Trump, stole the show by winning a clear majority of the electoral college votes.

This allowed him to wrest the White House from under the nose of Hillary Clinton, despite her receiving around three million more votes nationwide.

Democracy? One person, one vote? Don’t ask.

This time, Trump has a different opponent: the ‘people’s friend’, Joe Biden, who has eight years of serving as Barack Obama’s vice president tucked under his belt.

Of course, the travelling circus is not so much roaring around the country at great speed as limping along in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to ravage the country - and has now infected not only Trump, but also his wife, key campaign staff and senators.

Recently, we saw the two candidates face off on the debate stage.

Throughout the world, politicians are known for their questionable election promises and bending of the truth, but Trump took lying to new heights in the first presidential debate.

BBC Reality Check looked at statements made by both candidates and the analysis points towards Trump having significant trouble expressing the truth.

Out of six claims he made, none were true and four were clearly false. Biden’s scores, though not perfect, were better: two truthful claims out of four, and just one declared false.

It’s safe to say that the truth continues to be a victim in presidential election campaigns.

Also a victim: manners.

The tens of millions of voters who tuned in to watch the debate in Ohio were treated to a spectacle beyond their wildest expectations.

Ultimately, it was a bad-tempered display of verbal fisticuffs, as both candidates traded more insults than policies and sought not to say “Vote for me”, but “Don’t vote for them”.

And, while this took place on both sides of the aisle, it appeared to be Donald Trump’s entire strategy, as he interrupted Biden a staggering 73 times, according to CBS.

Since Biden spoke for 43 minutes, that means Trump was interrupting his opponent every 35 seconds.

There’s little surprise Biden came out with his headline-garnering jab: “Will you shut up, man?”

The second presidential debate is due to be held in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, 15 October, but Trump’s diagnosis must throw that into some doubt.