Senate Democrats are questioning the decision by former President Trump and his allies to put President Biden’s debate expectations close to the floor ahead of the pair’s first meeting of this campaign on Thursday in Atlanta.
Democrats are surprised that Republicans appear to be repeating the same move that backfired before the first debate between the two in 2020, when Trump’s constant interruptions influenced the event.
That left Democrats hopeful of seeing a repeat of the State of the Union, when Biden delivered a fiery speech after months of talk about the president’s mental acuity.
“They cracked down on Biden before this, so he did OK — and OK looks fantastic once you calm the guy down. And I think they’re doing the same thing now,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). “My gut tells me he’s probably going to do well, and because they’ve spent all this time badmouthing him and creating fake videos about him that make him look confused, he’s going to do well and I think this is going to work. in your favor.”
“They should lower expectations for Trump rather than lower expectations for Biden,” he continued. “I can’t understand exactly why they are doing this, but it will probably be to Biden’s advantage.”
Months ago, Trump said Biden was “the WORST debater I’ve ever faced,” and last week in Wisconsin he called him “weak, a failure and incompetent.” Over the weekend, Trump suggested that Biden was at Camp David “sleeping… because they want to make him good and strong.”
Many Republicans echoed these talking points, some even asserting that the president would need to use drugs to physically and mentally persevere through the 90-minute debate.
But in recent days, Trump’s campaign advisers and key allies have sought to reshape expectations.
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters that Biden “has been doing this successfully for 50 years.”
“We know that Joe Biden — after taking a full week off, he’s going to be ready for it,” Miller said. “I don’t know if it will be on the level of Steve Rogers coming in and becoming Captain America, but his team will get him ready, just like they did in 2008, 2012, 2024.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), a leading candidate to become Trump’s running mate, also pointed to Biden’s numerous runs for higher office and long career in office.
“This guy has skill,” he said Sunday.
Not surprisingly, Democrats agree with this assessment.
“They are trying to make it seem like the president is not in charge of the work, when we who work with him [know] he definitely does. I think that will show on Thursday night,” Kaine said. “He did that a lot.”
Some Democratic senators also point to another Trump talking point leading up to the CNN-hosted event: that the event is unfair and that Trump is not just going up against Biden, but also the moderators.
A Trump Spokesperson discussed this week that Trump is facing a “three to one” fight.
“They want to claim this is a rigged debate against Donald Trump,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who helped Biden prepare for the 2012 vice presidential debate against then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). “So obviously they have some concerns.”
Most Democrats have a simple request of Biden as he faces Trump once again: Draw the sharpest contrast possible.
“President Biden will remind the American people why [Trump’s] unqualified to be president and we will hear this contrast with the incredible job President Biden has done,” said Senator Ben Ray Luján (DN.M.). “It will be very clear.”
They also believe that timing matters. Thursday’s presidential debate will be the first televised in history, meaning many voters will turn their attention to the race for the first time.
For them, it’s a time to raise the stakes.
“The main goal I want to see for President Biden is to draw a very stark contrast between what he has done for America, what he offers America and what Donald Trump has done to bring this country back and what to expect from another presidency of Trump,” said Van. Hollen said.
“[Trump’s] telling us every day, but it is important that it is clearly revealed that Donald Trump is a vindictive candidate, he does not have a positive agenda, but he wants to overthrow our democracy and push our country back,” he added.
Others were more succinct in their assessment.
“A contrast to the big MAGA nut who will be on stage with him,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said of what he wants to see at the debate, adding that he hopes Biden shows “a little courage.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
