(NewsNation) — The rules for next week’s presidential debate include a muted microphone for the candidate who is not speaking. Could this save former President Donald Trump from himself and prevent a repeat of his 2020 performance?
“I think this will be a huge disincentive for Donald Trump to interrupt Joe Biden,” said the GOP strategist and debate coach Brett O’Donnell.
“You have to be aggressive without being offensive, (and) when you constantly interrupt, people see it as offensive,” he told NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
Four years ago, the first presidential debate was marked by frequent interruptions from Trump to Biden, to the point where Biden told Trump to “shut up, man.” However, O’Donnell said Trump learned from his mistake and was much more controlled in the second meeting.
“If Donald Trump debates like he did in the second debate (in 2020)… I think the Trump group will think they had a great night,” he said.
Earlier this week, Trump appeared to adopt a time-honored pre-debate tactic: praising his opponent’s abilities.
“I watched him with Paul Ryan and he destroyed Paul Ryan,” Trump told the “All-In” podcast, referring to Biden’s vice presidential debate with Ryan in 2012.
“And he beat Paul Ryan, so I’m not underestimating him,” Trump added.
“The goal is to toughen up your opponent so they don’t meet these high expectations,” O’Donnell said. “We should have high expectations for Joe Biden. He is the president of the United States. He’s the starter.
O’Donnell says any debate is an opportunity for a candidate to “frame” the race and tell voters why they should vote for them and not their opponent. As he said, “Make the debate about the public.”
“It’s a messaging exercise where you have to connect with people – the voters at home – and give them a reason to vote for you.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
