Frank Luntz on Biden-Trump debate: ‘Both candidates need to loosen up’

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Longtime GOP pollster Frank Luntz advised President Biden and former President Trump to “loosen up” to make the biggest impression on voters during the upcoming debate.

Luntz outlined what he’ll be looking for in CNN’s showdown on Thursday, reflecting on his past observations of the presidential debates in an op-ed published Monday in The New York Times. He said viewers want to see “passion, energy and even anger in service of the country’s interests.”

“A self-possessed Mr. Trump or a grown-up Mr. Biden will not be remembered, any more than Mr. [John] Kerry and Mr. [John] McCain was not remembered. There is so much at stake that both candidates need to break free to make a lasting impression, but not in a way that could alienate key groups like suburban women and swing voters,” he wrote.

“In the end, it is not the facts, the policies or even the superiority that Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump offer in the debate that matters. That’s how they make voters feel,” Luntz said.

Biden and Trump have been preparing in recent days for their first debate since the 2020 elections, with Biden meeting with advisers at Camp David and Trump meeting with lawmakers to discuss policy areas.

Luntz, who moderates focus groups, wrote that the “biggest impact” the leading candidates could have on the debate would be if they “attacked each other in defined ways or undermined the policy argument each wants to make to Americans.”

He said key moments, like former President Reagan’s question, “Are you better than you were four years ago?” or Trump telling Hillary Clinton in 2016 that she would “be in prison” if he won could make a “significant difference.”

He also wrote that expectations about a candidate’s performance also affect how a viewer views him or her.

“This week brings us potentially one of the most important debates since the Mr. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debates. Expectations are already high for Trump, who challenged Biden to debate at any time or place of his choosing. It is quite possible that Trump will regret issuing such a public challenge, and Biden may regret accepting the offer,” Luntz said.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story