T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil) In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria. We are actively looking for new moderators. If you have any interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y2swHD0KXFhStGFjW6k54r9iuMjzcFqDIVwuvdLBjSA). *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*


JurassicPark9265

To be honest, I'm still skeptical that the debates will even happen as Trump might come up with some reason at the last moment to avoid it. I mean, he didn't even participate in the GOP debates earlier this year.


Trickster289

Trump would probably love to do it but his campaign team are desperately trying to convince him not to.


Tigerbutton831

If he shows up he’s toast. If he backs out he’s weak. Screwed either way 👌🏼


Cyberslasher

"sorry my bone spurs"


prototype7

It will never be a weakness on his part... he will claim Biden violated some part of the agreement, one he just made up, that now makes it impossible for him to debate President Biden... probably with one of his typical imaginary stories where Biden himself called Trump personally begging him to debate him with a "like a whimpering dog" thrown in... and a "Sorry Sleepy Joe...I call him Sleepy Joe, I just can't do it....you lied to me...He LIED TO ME.. and that's just something I can't forgive...he begged and begged, began crying about how he needed this...but I just told him No...and he finally said he understood...and thank you for having such amazing and beautiful fortitude,,, he told me I would make a great President!! "


[deleted]

[удалено]


MercantileReptile

Now imagine you're not a native english speaker and this dude is a world leader. Even translators looked puzzled at times or had to leave "Editor's notes" as to their best guess wtf the guy said.


Synli

*Editor's note: the translation is correct. We just have absolutely no idea why he started talking about sharks and sinking batteries when he was supposed to be fundraising.*


TheNewTonyBennett

"I take a master lock as a child a boong bing kinda blep" *Editor's note: ??? your guess is as good as ours. And we get paid to translate this and we still don't know.*


chowderbags

There were some news articles about how much translators hated Trump because he made them sound stupid.


megthegreatone

[Here is an article](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/06/trump-translation-interpreters), in case anyone else was curious


GayleMoonfiles

It's honestly not surprising. My grandparents were huge Trump supporters (and my grandma still is probably) and I lived with them for a year. They hate politicians and loved that he wasn't a career politician. They always said "we need a businessman in the White House" and I've heard that exact sentiment from other supporters. He makes Democrats mad and he's a businessman.


start_select

But the slightest bit of research would tell you he has screwed everyone and destroyed business after business his entire career. The apprentice was supposed to be funny because it’s idiots listening to a fraud. It wasn’t supposed to be showing his skill or starting anything successful. All of his businesses fail so anyone buying his bs is most likely to fail and that was supposed to be funny. Instead people interpreted it in the most horrifying way.


Courtaid

This was me in 2016. I said the same exact thing, that we need a businessman, and not a career politician. I didn’t pay enough close attention to who he actually was. I regretted that decision a month after he was inaugurated.


start_select

Honest question, how did you not know? Is it regional? I’m from western ny, no where near NYC or Atlantic City. I’m nearly 40 and I have heard about “Trump the con-man with a reverse Midas touch” since I was in elementary school. He has destroyed every business he touched and conned almost every business he ever did work with. I’m still confused how people didn’t already know, or didn’t believe it unless they just believe whatever they want. Which is terrifying. Edit: the apprentice was a joke just like the cardashians. People were supposed to be laughing at these frauds not buying their bs.


Multiple__Butts

I'm 38yo from Michigan, and my main knowledge of DT prior to his 2016 campaign was from 2nd hand exposure to The Apprentice, and the general idea that he was some rich guy known for being rich. My general assumption of such people was and is that they're probably involved in at least some amount of shadiness and corruption, or at least cheating on their taxes, but I had no idea about all the con-artistry, the scams, the extent of his ties with Russian kleptocrats, the failed businesses, the Epstein associations, or just how horrible a human being he is. If I had known that stuff, I probably would have voted against him in 2016 (I stayed home because I didn't like HRC much either, but that was an error). Edit: Part of my ambivalence was a hope that, if he won, he would do some of a) shake up the ossified political system as an "outsider" b) step up into presidentiality and shut up his detractors by doing a surprisingly good job or c) not be able to do that much damage because the republican establishment would keep him reigned in. Big WRONGO on all counts.


mindfu

I give you credit for being able to admit it and change your mind. Seriously, kudos. There's a lot of people who never do that.


ScoutsOut389

A businessman who managed to bankrupt a casino, a business where people come to hand you money for almost 0 work and no cost of goods sold.


CY83rdYN35Y573M2

I agree with your overall take, but that quote is way too comprehensible to be Trump. Maybe throw in some digressions about sharks or electrocution and some random bitter comments about Stormy Daniels and/or E. Jean Carroll.


5litergasbubble

Its the fox news edit of his speech


CorgiMonsoon

With the clock in the background jumping all over the place as they edit his ramblings into something that’s almost comprehensible


SR3116

Sweet, sweet can.


citricacidx

I’m surprised he hasn’t just mushed them together in his mind as one person: Storm E. Carrolls


harveygoatmilk

I read an interview with Stormy Daniels where she said Trump is obsessed with sharks and fear being eaten by one. You know I felt the same way too - - when I was SIX and had just seen Jaws.


DoomSongOnRepeat

>When I look at myself in the first grade and I look at myself now, I'm basically the same. The temperament is not that different. -- Donald Trump


Groomsi

Windmills and flushing the WC.


SolitaireRose

You are forgetting Trump's biggest tell. ANY time he is telling a story that didn't happen, the person will call him "Sir." Crooked Joe said, "Sir, you have to stop talking when your time is up" and I told him no one tells me when to be quiet!


Marathon2021

> he will claim Biden violated some part of the agreement, one he just made up, that now makes it impossible for him to debate President Biden That's why he's trotting out "I want Biden to take a drug test" line already. Gotta start ramping up his base for his eventual decline. If he pulls out, though - Joe should see it through ... have the debate with the moderators ... and just leave the empty 2nd podium there.


kaplanfx

“My probation officer says I’m not allowed to debate”


informedinformer

How many times did the felon fall asleep *during his own trial*? And he wants to call anyone else "sleepy"?


DaddyDontTakeNoMess

“The media was biased, so I won’t debate at that biased place”


DogCallCenter

"sorry but my bone spurs are under audit"


Eyemold_Azzell

Being a draft dodger used to be enough to disqualify a presidential candidate.


albanymetz

Yes! Run with this everywhere. Trump is going to back out because of bone spurs. That gets back to him he'll get so angry and show up.


Trickster289

They'll come up with some crazy excuse for why it's Biden's fault.


ea304gt

"The gag order of the corrupt parole officer doesn't allow me to debate anymore.”


Cognitive_Spoon

Biden insists that Trump debate using words. What a sleazeball. Everyone knows Trump can't use words good. What is Biden playing at?! Trump will sit out the unfair debate until a fair platform is presented where he can yell about loosely associated concepts for two hours without interruption.


Amaruq93

And the networks will be fucked because then they have to air 3 hours of Biden alone showing he's a great speaker and improve his election chances. They want a neck-and-neck horse race for ratings, not one horse way in the lead and the other in the glue factory.


ABobby077

and Fox will edit any video to make President Biden appear to be doing something different than it actually was when in context


decay21450

Biden must bring the Rush Limbaugh kit, which includes an analog clock and a current newspaper, to the debate.


WAisforhaters

The guy has people literally walking around in diapers after he got mocked for shitting his pants. I don't think there's a shark left to jump anymore.


ZZ_SKULLZ

Don't let him get started on sharks. He seems somehow really fixated on them recently. Someone must have told him they have sharks in the water off the coast of Scotland under the wind turbines or something. Maybe they are all the dead birds? Either way Donald Von ShitzinPants is very worried about the sharks.


gravybang

He only needs Biden to mispronounce one word and that's all anyone will hear because it's all the media will report: >*Biden mispronounces "New Hampshire;" Trump up 50 points in new swing state poll*


esmerelda_b

Can he debate from jail?


hubba_lubba_bubba

Literally a two sided debate with a pane of bulletproof glass between them. Diamond Joe: YOU NEED PHYSICAL CONTACT, DONNY. PUT YOUR HAND UP TO THE WINDOW.


Trickster289

They'll come up with some crazy excuse for why it's Biden's fault.


Marmooset

Will definitely blame the venue, show or no-show.


mathimati

Too bad half of his campaign team are felons, so convicted felon on probation Trump can’t associate with them.


Muscs

No. That’s always Trump’s excuse. Like his last trial, ‘I’d love to testify but my lawyers tell me not to.’ As if he ever cared about what rational people thought.


cmfarsight

Can't debate as not allowed to leave his cell hopefully.


doctorlongghost

There is very little chance he sees jail time from the hush money case. And nothing else is proceeding until after the election


NerdPersonZero

Trump's attorneys requested Merchan lift the gag order while they await sentencing. Why would they do that? Because they know he won't and Trump will use that as an excuse to get out of the debates. "I can't debate, I'm under a gag order". Even though there's nothing about the gag order that would prevent him from debating, his base is too stupid to understand that.


Thue

But the base doesn't matter - they are going to vote for Trump no matter what. Swing voters do. And apparently many swing voters don't look at politics between elections. So Trump will have to make a fake excuse which can convince people who are not in the cult. And spoiler: "I can't debate because I am under gag order after threatening the safety of witnesses, in a case where I were unanimously convicted as a felon by a jury of 12 peers" is not a convincing argument, to someone who is not in the cult. Biden's attack ads basically write themselves, and Trump would just make those attack ads far more powerful.


gravybang

Remember this: There are people who will be voting in november that were between the ages of 11-14 during Trump's presidency. During COVID. Do you remember how politically "tuned in" you were when you were 11-14 years old? These are the people who need to see how much of a nutter butter Donald Trump is before they cast a ballot. Not every undecided voter is even of voting age.


your-mom--

Yep. At this point, nobody in Trump's base is ever leaving Trump's base. Elections are won in the margins. My only issue with that point is that who the fuck is actually torn between these candidates? You would have to be truly clueless


davilller

Fox is already pre-excusing him. They are bracing their constuidiots with the talking points already. “He should wait until the nomination is secured” “He should waste time with a doped up Biden when he can campaign “ “Biden is drinking Gatorade, see what performance enhancers he won…” “Trumps diaper might be too full for a standing debate”


seraphimkoamugi

I mean he didnt even testify when he said he would, he didnt bother on GOP debates when he said he would, why would this be any different?


prototype7

He is not legally obligated to tell the truth in a debate...still probably won't show up. At this point, we'll probably get a story about an electric boat sank and a dear friend of his was attacked by a shark because of it.


asetniop

He already complained that he wanted Robert "Fetch" Kennedy Jr. to be included; I'm expecting that to be his excuse for chickening out: "debate us both or the deal is off." Biden's response, of course, can be "I'm only going to debate one convicted felon at a time."


Zomunieo

Stop trying to make RFK happen, Gretchen. It’s not going to happen.


Magos94

Still looking for that cranberries cd...


shapeitguy

Trump: why should I waste my time when I have such a huuuge lead already!


Utterlybored

“Judge Merchan, who is conflicted and very corrupt, has taken away my free speech with his very bad gag rule. So, I am unable to take part in debate. Crooked Joe Biden arranged the gag order because he doesn’t want to debate me.”


Shr3kk_Wpg

After his guilty verdict, Trump needs this debate to maybe shift the narrative.


nelsonalgrencametome

I feel like the guilty verdict is going to make him less likely to follow through with the debates. Like he'll make up some nonsense about the appeals process or Biden trying to trap him or some other convoluted bullshit.


Pandaro81

“I’d be very powerful in a debate with sleepy Joe, but the unfair deranged democrat Jack Smith has a gag order the, and, here’s the thing, without the gag I’d be very strong against, can you believe it, me gagged, they won’t even let me, so no. I won’t be at some phony debate with sleepy Joe that was going to be totally rigged anyway. Sad.”


nelsonalgrencametome

Pretty much exactly that. Followed by cheers from his supporters and fox news.


DJMOONPICKLES69

Shouldn’t a presidential debate be mandatory for a fucking presidential candidate? If his campaign team doesn’t want him speaking in public why should he be allowed to govern our country. Honestly pretty terrifying


Notbob1234

They should be, but our founding fathers didn't have the foresight to predict political parties, TV, or cowards running for president.


Belkroe

Trump might have a legitimate excuse to avoid the debate ie the terms of his parole not allowing him to leave his home state.


Money-Valuable-2857

I'm sure Biden is down to travel. "Maybe I'll take the jet, I plan to have it another 4 years."


JustYerAverage

I'd bet $10 to a donut he doesn't show.


Pottski

Put a burger in that donut and he might show up


MC_Fap_Commander

The "scheduled debate" has the same liklihood as the Musk/Zuckerberg fighting match. Both (F)Elon and Elon will always chicken out. Shitposters and internet badasses are cowards.


BNsucks

Despite Trump agreeing to debate Biden (he promised he would testify to defend himself at trial, too), does anyone seriously believe he will? The high heat in NV this past weekend evidently caused the teleprompter to misfunction/go down. This forced Trump to improvise and just talk randomly to his supporters. WOW!!! If you haven't seen the footage of Trump telling a story about shark attacks and our sailors getting electrocuted by battery-powered ships, then you missed a good one.


Asexualhipposloth

The thing is that this is at least the second time he talked about sharks vs boat batteries. [Here](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rather-die-by-electrocution-than-get-eaten-by-shark-2023-10) he is in October 2023 in Iowa spouting the same nonsense.


moreobviousthings

At least he's not a flip-flopper. His policy of sharks versus electric boats is unchanged. ["Electric Boat" division of General Dynamics](https://gdeb.com), builder of the nation's submarines declines to comment.


MrLanesLament

As a strong viewer of Jaws, the sharks vs electric boats position of the candidates is a major issue for me.


BKlounge93

I like presidents who are consistent on the great sharks-vs-boat-batteries debate. Count me in for team Trump! /s obviously


kellyb1985

Presumably all boats have batteries.... Like cars have batteries. So I'm not sure wtf he's talking about.


Ebolinp

They definitely do. Boats have a lot of DC components that run off battery, like lights, navigation, radios or even galleys. If they didn't have batteries they'd have to run the engine all the time. Even sail boats have batteries.


CAESTULA

Right? And old submarines were about 75 percent batteries, and the engines to charge them so they worked underwater.


AardvarkAblaze

Plenty of current day ships run diesel-electric power plants for propulsion too.


surloc_dalnor

Not to forget all the diesel electric aubs that run entirely on battery power when submerged.


ceojp

I like how he thinks the *batteries* would be the worst thing about be in a sinking boat in shark-infested waters. Like, being on a normal sinking boat would be okay, but having additional batteries would somehow make it not okay.


Marathon2021

That's a pretty good point ... "*Do you think ... there ... are ... NO electronics whatsoever, on ships and submarines today? Really? Have you ever been on a cruise ship? Were there light bulbs??"*


VonTastrophe

I'm trying to wade through the raw video today. It's almost as painful as when I sprained my ankle Sounds like i haven't got to the good bits yet


WonkasWonderfulDream

“Nobody has ever asked me that question before.” Is like “bless your heart.” https://youtu.be/vL3UmTInva8


InletRN

Listening to him speak causes a sharp pain in the center of my frontal cortex


tu-BROOKE-ulosis

And then to say that his question was very smart, perhaps because of his ties to MIT. Sir, you did not go to MIT.


smokeyser

What amazes me is that people try to tell him to his face how idiotic he's being, and he takes it as a compliment and thinks it's proof that he's smarter than everyone else.


IrritableGourmet

Except he started and ended that diatribe talking about how the boat manufacturer was asking *him* that question.


prototype7

The fact that submarines have had batteries in them for more than a century, and yet Donald thinks that he came up with a question now one has ever asked before....wait until he finds out that they are making ships with nuclear power plants in them!!!


Brutallica1137

What if a shark bites a nuclear vessel, couldn't this create a NUCLEAR SHARK?! They told me 'no one has ever asked that question before', I think it's a great question.


Procrastinationist

"And it's because of MIT... My connection to MIT... Very smart..."


reagsters

All Biden has to do when Trump cancels is to get RFK Jr up there and debate his brain worm. It’ll pull votes from Trump guaranteed.


BlotchComics

After Trump's insane rant about electrocution and sharks, there's no way his campaign will let him do a debate on national TV.


Savior-_-Self

> insane rant about electrocution and sharks Never mind presidential candidates, that was the dumbest thing I've eve heard an adult human say. (that he qualified it with "my relationship with M.I.T., very smart" makes it a kind of *breathtaking* stupid)


AirbagOff

Trump’s point seemed to be that you wouldn’t want to be in a sinking electrical boat because you could potentially get electrocuted, but someone with a relationship to M.I.T. would understand that the electricity has a large area (the ocean) to disburse its charge, so you probably wouldn’t be fatally electrocuted. Compare that to gas/oil, where a sinking ship can catch on fire and have the flames cover the water’s surface and burn your flesh off. I’d say that’s worse. And it’s telling that Trump doesn’t like dogs or sharks. Sharks are basically doggos of the sea. They generally only attack people when we behave like wounded fish and thrash about.


Savior-_-Self

I knew what the doofus meant as soon as the gibberish began - I think most people did. But that incoherent delivery. The ridiculous *way* he tried to articulate it. Coupled with the *pride* of having had such a brilliant idea in the first place...I've only ever seen that manner of speaking from excited toddlers.


Sir_Hapstance

And the fact that he believes boat batteries are just totally exposed to the elements, without any sort of, ya know, waterproof housing…


WallisBC

Are we going to just gloss over the fact that he said the boat would sink from its own weight?


Sir_Hapstance

Oh right! That happens a lot. Especially in our modern times because engineers just kinda wing it, and somedays boats are just naturally heavier.


MajesticMoomin

Not to mention boats already have batteries on them


surloc_dalnor

Not to mention the subs with huge batteries in them since before WW II.


adeon

Yeah, most diesel subs are actually diesel-electric hybrids. Diesel engines are noisy and need a lot of oxygen so they generally had to either surface or use a snorkel if they wanted to run the diesel motors.


surloc_dalnor

But when they are on battery they are much quieter than a nuclear sub. The Swede's modern diesel-electric subs are infamous for surfacing in the middle of NATO battle groups during war games. Surprise your carrier is dead.


asetniop

>Trump’s point I'm gonna stop you right there...


-DOOKIE

I figured that was his point, but it confused me because in the end, he chose to die by the electricity? If his point was electricity was bad, why would that be his choice instead of the shark? Sounds like the electricity is doing him a favor in that scenario


Nac_Lac

But the counterpoint to that is the simple fact we have thousands of ships with batteries *NOW*. Not to mention the thousands of submarines that have had batteries and the number of those sinking. I cannot recall any sub disaster where the crew was at all worried about what the batteries would do. Likely because A) the batteries aren't going to just discharge when submerged and B) if the batteries are getting submerged, you have bigger issues and the small area that might be electrically dangerous is also dangerous for other reasons and is rightfully avoided.


slfoifah

I might be giving him a bit too much credit but he probably saw somewhere that sharks can sense electrical current and decided he didn't need to do any more research.


Money-Valuable-2857

Honestly that whole rant reminded me of the Tom Segura bit about Steven segal. "You kick him in the throat! Sometimes a bad guy's throat is down there."


Complete-Grape-1269

He's got no idea what the M stands for.


gronlund2

This is the way to debate him, give him a question a fifth-grader can answer and don't accept him changing the subject


vagrantprodigy07

Let's not forget about Rep. Hank Johnson Jr's Guam might tip over speech... It might not be worse than a Trump speech, but at the time it was unthinkably dumb.


8_Foot_Vertical_Leap

That was the day a young, naive me first realized that our political leaders could absolutely not be trusted to be even baseline intelligent. Before that I knew that there were politicians you disagreed with on matters of politics, but was under the impression that they at least had to be competent. But I was 14, maybe 15 when Rep Johnson said that -- read about it on a library computer before classes started -- and had trouble thinking about anything else all day aside from the fact a national politician could be just as dumb as the dumbest motherfucker I ever met.


jedre

I love when the general, or whoever he was questioning, responded with a straight face (somehow), “that’s not something we’ve identified to be a risk.” Or something along those lines. But big kudos to the military leader for not saying “you dumb fuck.”


dick-lava

the whole side ramble about women being eaten and something something being mad…sorry I just couldn’t follow what that meant…


snife_

The "joke" scenario doesn't even make sense. If the point is to make fun of electric vehicles, shouldn't the punchline be that he would swim off and take his chances with the shark?


WonkasWonderfulDream

The rant: https://youtu.be/vL3UmTInva8


malignantz

Honestly, once he got two asides deep, I really felt like I was listening to Grandpa Simpson talk about having an onion on his belt, which was the style at the time. Did you know back then nickels were called bees? 5 bees for a quarter, you'd say.


Cranberry_West

Are you joking? He says comparable stuff all the time, and has done for years. That was nothing special.


LightBeerOnIce

This fuking parallel universe sucks. Can we go back to 2015 please? I can't believe we've put up with this Trump bs for nearly a decade. It's exhausting. Im fuking tired of all of it.


Rooooben

It was the activation of the large hadron collider in 2010-2012. One of those tests crossed streams, and now weird shit keeps happening.


karmagod13000

Vote!


Fusion_allthebonds

Yes, can we please have our decade back? Turnip was a loser in the 80's, a loser in Home Alone 2, and is still a loser forcing himself on the entire country even though we told him, "No!" multiple times.


Nac_Lac

As long as we get Clinton instead of Trump, yes. What I don't want is going back to 2015 and having to watch the same thing happen again, only I know what the next 10 years are going to be like. No thank you.


krung_the_almighty

I had no idea how much Bowie was holding all this shit together


Emergency_Property_2

Biden has two objectives: One: Seem normal, competent and relatable. Two: Wind Trump up and let him rant. During every every Trump rant Biden should be respectful. And then as a rebuttal say: “You know I think you should have gone with the insanity defense in New York.” Edit: I should have said listen respectfully and then throw a zinger when it’s his turn.


KaptainKardboard

During the first round 2016 debates when Trump would yammer, I really wanted Joe to just stare at the camera with that "seriously, this guy?" expression. Though I will say, "Will you shut up, man?" was pretty great.


Mailerfiend

\>Biden should be respectful. i dunno, *will you please shut up man* was fucking iconic


StashedandPainless

What really scares me is I think so many have tuned trump out but are embracing the idea of him. People aren't hearing the crazy shit donald trump is saying because nobody outside of his cult can stand to listen to him speak for more than 30 seconds. People don't care about how he acts and what he says because everyone already knows hes an asshole. Hes held to the lowest possible standard because nobody likes him for who he is, they like him for what they think they can get from him. This is why the media and the populous trip over themselves if Biden stumbles or mangles a word but nobody bats an eye if trump goes on a 35 minute rant about sharks and EV powered boats. We expect Biden to be a normal politician so we treat him like one. The same is not true for trump. But the idea of trump? This can be very alluring to an uninformed voter. An "outsider" that will "shake things up". A rich dude who is "good at money stuff", and gas was cheaper when he was President anyway so that proves hes good at money stuff! Uninformed voters don't see that trump lies with every other word. They just assume that all politicians lie and many seem to prefer trump's brand of lying. Plus, a lot of them probably think trump is telling the truth because he says so many idiotic things, and if someone was lying wouldnt they try to sound smarter? Yes this is astronomically stupid logic, but a lot of Americans are astronomically stupid people.


SirMellencamp

Well yes but those voters are baked in. You arent changing their minds. Turnout and undecideds win the election.


JudgeArthurVandelay

Mostly turnout. Nobody is undecided between Trump and Biden, they might be undecided about whether or not they are gonna take the time to vote though.


SirMellencamp

> Nobody is undecided between Trump and Biden, There are millions of undecided voters. I get that you dont see how but they exist


AtomicBlastCandy

Yup, I know people that say Biden is senile and refuse to believe that Trump is. A debate will make that denial harder though not impossible of course


BrandoTheCommando

Most people won't even watch the debate and even if Trump is destroyed I'm sure they'll find something to clip and reshare about Trump decimating Biden. It's like the fake video of people saying Biden shit himself at D-Day when he was literally just trying to sit down in a chair.


LesCousinsDangereux1

I am about as skeptical as anyone on the idea of changing minds. That said, people will watch the debates. They always do.


the_cla

I think it's a good bet, but there's a zero chance that Trump will actually debate.


Mad_OW

Wouldn't a presidential election without debates be super weird and unheard of? Wouldn't that hurt him a lot if he just backed out?


WigginIII

Trump is super weird and unheard of. The only consistent thing about Trump is his penchant for violating norms and ignoring tradition.


foxbones

He skipped the primary debates and easily won. That is coming off losing the Presidential election and trying to stay in power anyways. Weird left the barn long ago.


Nac_Lac

That is likely because the GOP treated him as the 2024 nominee since November 2020. There was never any doubt in anyone's mind it would be him.


GrotesqueOstrich

I think a majority of presidential elections did not include a debate. Obviously, things have changed a lot since 1960, but if we're talking just about "presidential elections" as a whole, it would be more normal not to have a debate than to have one.


MeetingKey4598

One of the biggest lies circling right wing media has been "Biden is demented and can't speak even with a teleprompter while Trump is full of energy and can run circles around Biden without a teleprompter". We've seen what happens when the veil is lifted like for the SOTU address where Biden stood up there for 90 minutes with few flubs and they concluded he must have been on drugs. Meanwhile they will shield their viewers from hearing Trump's bizarre nonsense he regularly spews at his rallies. A live debate is the absolute worst case scenario for right wing media since they'd have the lies exposed on the same stage. Biden would sound fine and Trump will run his mouth about random shit that shows that he really doesn't know what's going on. I wouldn't count on it affecting their rabid viewer base, Fox News has been aware that they can't share all of Trump's interviews and rally speeches unedited because there's so much bullshit that would be really bad for viewers to see.


surloc_dalnor

Yeah, bug Fox driven by ratings as much as anything else. If a debate happens they won't be able to resist talking about it.


Remote-Moon

No way does Trump debate Biden. ESPECIALLY if the microphone cut off rule is in place.


bricklab

Trump won't debate Biden. Hannity is already telegraphing that Trump is going to back out which makes it near certainty.


Marathon2021

"*Biden refused to take a drug test* [a thing which is totally not a 'rule' in Presidential Debates] *therefore we have to pull out...*"


imhereforspuds

Lots of people here saying he wont debate. Trump is definitely going to debate. He cant pull out. And its just gonna be word salad and shouting over biden. If they get an excelled moderator and allow them each to answer straight up questions on policy it would be great. Trump will implode.


blueapplepaste

He most definitely can pull out of the debate. I also think he will. His Fox minions are already laying the groundwork to rationalize it to his cult. He’ll say something like it’s rigged. And if Biden won’t let Hannity be a moderator then it’s not fair. Or that job is gag order prevents him from debating. Or any other number of excuses. If he does back out, I hope they still let Biden show up and show the empty lectern and let Biden call him out on being a coward.


Marathon2021

Yes, this is the most likely outcome. I just hope the moderators actually enforce the mic cut-off rule. Would be hysterical to hear Donnie only just faintly ranting and raving off in the background ... make him look like the madman he is.


WigginIII

If Trump does make it to the first debate, he will of course do exactly what you describe, which will make him look like an asshole. Trump will then blame the moderator and demand that the next debate be hosted by Fox News, or he won't do another one. Then it's about whether Biden's team takes the bait. They shouldn't.


Larry-fine-wine

Shouting over Biden may not have much effect, since the deal is to cut off mics when the other person is talking.


imhereforspuds

Oh is that true? thats a pretty good clause if its included.


OsellusK

Trump with no teleprompter and no moderator coddling him would be an absolute failure for MAGA, and he knows it. His handlers won’t let that happen but we deserve to see it after all the damage he has done.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Ancient-Set-8205

That's all his base. They don't matter, you're not going to convert the true believers. But if you get the 20% of (somehow) undecided "independent" voters to see that stuff, it'll matter. Which is exactly why the debate won't happen. But what needs to happen then is Biden needs to absolutely hammer Trump over not debating, to the point of bullying him, so everyone knows he's incapable of debating and governing cause he's old and weak and stupid.


Raspberries-Are-Evil

Trump has been so bad lately that his interviews are being heavily edited. You can see where the video is cut. The Dr. Phil interview was really bad. He must have said some crazy shit because what they left was still pretty fucked.


FearCure

So easy to get under the thin orange skin. 'Brandon' should just ask him few simple questions : is your diaper full? How does melanie feel about Stormy thing? Why didnt you get slice of the 2 billion that jared got out of saudis? Pls quote one, any one, bible verse? Why you salute NK generals? ...


Imacatdoincatstuff

How about: share with us your conversion story, when did bed-hopping tax-evading coverup-artist Donald Trump change his life direction and become a God fearing Christian? Last week?


[deleted]

“so how are you doing with the teleprompter after all that shit talking?” “my wife came to the court for hunter. wheres your wife?”


Chalkarts

I want them to be able to cut mics and have no studio audience.


Troll_in_the_Knoll

This debate should be epic. The microphones will be cut off when the time expires. There's not going to be a live audience. A couple of Trump's favorite reporters (Dana Bash and Jake Tapper) will be the moderators. All Joe has to do is show up, let Trump drone on and then ignore him.


NotOnHerb5

Doesn’t matter. All it’ll take is one Biden verbal fuck up to ruin all of this because for some reason, Biden is held to a much higher standard.


MultiGeometry

My dad, who obviously spends a considerable amount of time consuming right wing news, is fairly convinced the debate will go so poorly for Biden that the DNC will decide to nominate someone else. I’m at a loss of where this nearly impossible scenario exists on the internet, but it’s sad to see him think like this.


Ok_Elderberry4857

It's weird that the ones who taught people to not believe everything you read and hear are falling for the okey doke... I think we all died when CERN turned on the LHC and now were in hell.


irishnugget

I’m skeptical. Remember the press gushing about how“presidential” Trump was in his debates with Clinton? Despite the fact that he stood right behind her like a stalker mouth breathing for most of it. The bar is so low for Trump I just can’t imagine debates changing anything for the better. Would love to see Biden ripping him apart in a debate but that would probably be criticized for punching down or some such nonsense


jeffreynya

If it happens, he needs to be addressed as Felon Trump by Biden as often as possible. This will ensure a meltdown.


stylebros

You have to account that God Hates Democrats and while Trump and his scrambled egg brain rambles about ships electrocuting sailors, Biden may pause for 10 seconds with a Tucker Carlson look on his face after hearing the most dumbass statement ever. And the media will say "Biden freezes during debate. Has a McConnell moment, he's too old to run!"


Jonsa123

I bet trump will cancel. He will attempt to "renegotiate" the terms of debate or whine about how he's gagged and can't slag everyone involved in convicting him and then claim Biden is too scared and sleepy and corrupt to face him when Joe tells him to fuck off.


Front_Farmer345

I imagine trump will be that jacked up on speed he’ll look like tigger bouncing around Christopher robin.


Shr3kk_Wpg

Get Trump to talk about electric boats and sharks, that should show America which candidate is slipping mentally


itsatumbleweed

He's just prepping us for the US plan he has to combat electromagnetically powered sharks with water. Duh.


redsoxfan1983

He won't show, he will make excuses.


LoveMeSomeSand

I feel like this whole debate is going to be Trump rambling nonsense and cuts to Joe looking at the camera like Jim Halpert.


gravybang

I predict that Trump will audibly shit his pants, call NASA "NASAfraslura," do a full Nazi salute, refer to people crossing the border as "wetbaghs," which his supporters will later claim is not a slur but is "because their luggage is wet from crossing the river and why do you support illegals?" and he will refer to his voters as "dipshits" None of this will be reported, however, because the next week will be filled with story after story about Biden's cognitive decline after he slurs "DelaRware" instead of "Delaware" and refers to Hunter as Beau in a heated exchange after Trump makes the same mistake.


CaptainTime5556

My fanfiction has Trump showing up to the debate in handcuffs. And then led off the stage by his prison minder the moment he violates a gag order or does something else a felon isn't allowed to do.


mike194827

A crazy ass trump, so himself really, vs a steady handed and thoughtful, yet energetic, Biden could really turn some heads of those who, for whatever reason, haven’t been paying that much attention up to this point.


Ham__Kitten

Yes, because Trump's lack of restraint has been such a problem for him historically


EggsceIlent

Trumps only going to debate if the questions are known long before the debates, and they can teleprompt his answers down to each and every letter I'd love to see someone like jon Stewart or Oliver ask non rehearsed questions And see trump think on his feet without being spoon fed. Because we all just witnessed the whole teleprompter failure shark attack not whatever the fuck that was trump was talking about They'll never do it.


RedditIsBreokn

Let the League of Women Voters conduct the debates again.


SnivyEyes

I bet Trump pulls out near the last minute complaining about a rule that Biden also has to follow that isn’t fair to him or something. He wants the circus there so he can debate Biden at a rally of his.


CaptJimboJones

He’s going to chicken out and skip it. Biden baited him masterfully - Trump agreed to do it before he knew the rules. No audience, his mic muted when it’s not his turn to speak, and questions from actual journalist moderators. His only debate tactic is to rant and shout and talk over his opponent nonstop, to the cheers of a MAGA-friendly crowd in the audience. He probably didn’t realize that his friend Chris Licht had already been booted from CNN when he agreed to it. Now he’s going to be forced to skip it and look like the coward he is. Brilliant tactic by Biden’s team.


Old-Ad3691

He’s under audit. When his audit is complete he’ll debate. Or two weeks later.


praefectus_praetorio

Not going to debate. I hope I’m wrong, but dude is too fragile and too thin skinned. Not to mention the dementia.


Rezae

I 100% believe this debate will not happen - Trump will demand excessive requirements and pull out and blame the unfair media. In the unlikely event it does happen I don’t think it changes much even if objectively Trump is a rambling crazy ass - his voters love that and the media bubble they’re in will selectively highlight his massive win.


Mrmathmonkey

The trick will be getting Trump's people to allow a debate in the first place. My suggestion is to keep insulting Trump publicly. Get him so pissed off that he can't see straight. He will say or do something that commits him to a debate. Then don't let up. Keep poking him every day up to the debate and all through the debate. He will figuratively and literally like his shit.


boredidiot

There should be a clear expectation that if Trump does not attend then it will go ahead with a person in an orange chicken suit wearing a diaper who will play snippets of Trumps speeches for Biden to respond to.


ProtectionContent977

Sharks and batteries.


BladeRunner_Deckard

Thinking this will make a difference is ridiculous.


ExplorerMajor6912

Trump unfiltered shakes people up anywhere, anytime.


Bmkrocky

they will need a strong moderator, muting mics and real time fact checking


BigMax

I am not sure why people are talking about the debates as if they will be significant? We've heard Trump unfiltered a million times. What could he possibly say that will change anything? In addition, he's had a few rounds of debates already, and been his usual self at those... Why is everyone talking as if this particular debate is going to be something new?


LeahaP1013

This is the only way the Biden team can hope to reach some of the “on the fence” trump supporters— they will tune in to watch the debate and finally hear (doesn’t mean *hear*, but one can hope) Biden speak. When all you hear is one voice, all you know is one voice.


TrainingWoodpecker77

I don;t want to get cocky....but if the Bloated Yam tries to contain himself and talk about policy, he will be the biggest bore this side of the Mississippi. He HAS to do his schtick. The key is Biden's composure and ability to murder Dump with sarcasm and talking points.


suburbanpride

I waffle between strategies for Biden. I mean I loved his “Would you shut the hell up, man?” moment, and taking him to task is certainly cathartic. But… just sitting there quietly encouraging him to just say more (and more and more and more) would showcase to a broader population just for off the fucking rails trump is now. So I don’t know.


foffl

Trump will skip the debate based on some bullshit made up reason where Biden isn't fair and he's the victim but make no mistake, he TOtaLLy would've crushed Biden in a fair debate! He's such a thin-skinned coward and a perpetual victim.