Almost certainly not as much as he blew the first debate in 2020. But what did Mr. Art of the Deal negotiate? It was actually Trump who had some leverage given the polling at the time of the debate negotiations (mid-May 2024), yet it was Biden’s team that secured every possible advantage: platform (CNN–caught giving debate questions in advance to Hillary Clinton in 2016), moderators (Tapper [who recently compared Trump to Hitler] and Bash), no opening statements, candidate microphones turned off once their time expires (advantage Biden, as he easily gets distracted), unprecedented early debate date (advantage Biden, who steadily deteriorates every week).
Most of the talking heads on Fox News have been complaining all week about how unfair the entire setup is to Trump while ignoring that Trump approved all of it.
Biden, after seven days of relentless drilling by 16 different advisors and jacked up on the maximum dose of Adderall, will probably just survive as he always does and thus be declared by the media the “runaway winner!” (He could still collapse in a complete mental meltdown if the Adderall doesn’t work or wears off early, but we’re never that lucky.)
Trump, in contrast, hasn’t been reviewing or rehearsing anything, claiming that his MAGA rallies are the only preparation he needs. Bizarre. The Fox hosts have been discussing all week some great jujitsu replies that Trump could lob after every conceivable Biden attack (January 6, “You’re a convicted felon!”, etc.) and most are great but a complete fantasy. This was Trump’s to win handily (inflation, the border, crime, the botched departure from Afghanistan, etc.), but, like negotiating a level debate playing field, it would have required at least a shred of effort, humility, and actual discipline. Egomaniacs rarely learn and adapt.
8:20 pm on June 27, 2024
