Thanks To Team Trump, Biden Could Score A Big Debate Win Just By Staying Awake
Person, woman, man, camera, TV.
After weathering months of insults and millions of dollars in advertising painting him as senile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden could likely just recite those five words – which President Donald Trump previously claimed proved his own cognitive acuity – and instantly exceed expectations in Tuesday night’s first debate.
“The president’s branding has ensured that all ‘Sleepy Joe’ needs to do to survive the debate is to stay awake,” said Terry Sullivan, a Republican consultant who ran Florida senator Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. “Not a real well thought-through strategy when you’re debating a guy who has a lot more experience.”
“Totally,” agreed David Axelrod, who was a top aide in former president Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. “It is one of the only times, maybe the only time, that a candidate has so persistently worked to lower expectations for a debate opponent and build them up for himself. Usually, it’s the other way around.”
Trump and Biden are scheduled to meet in the first of three debates on Tuesday night (here’s how to watch in the UK) at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The second is set for October 15 in Miami and the third for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee. Vice president Mike Pence and Biden running mate Kamala Harris are scheduled to debate on October 7 in Salt Lake City.
Historically, candidates heading into these encounters try to raise expectations for their opponents – the easier to cast their own performance as a great success afterward. Indeed, Trump’s professional campaign staff have been doing just that in recent weeks.
“He always can turn it on for debate night,” Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said of Biden. “He’s been a Washington politician for 47 years, spent decades in the Senate where all they do is debate, won two debates running for vice president, and bested two dozen opponents in 11 primary debates this time....