Democrats question whether Biden should agree to debate Trump

Democratic lawmakers are skeptical that President Biden would debate former President Trump, worried that having them on stage together would only strengthen the potential Republican nominee.

Mr. Trump has so far been absent from all Republican presidential primary debates, but has expressed interest in debating Mr. Biden.

He told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt before Christmas that he was “looking forward” to running against Biden and proposed 10 debates.

But Democratic lawmakers aren't entertaining that scenario.

Senate Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said he would “think carefully” about the possibility of Mr. Biden debating Mr. Trump.

“I have physically attended any of the following [Trump’s] I saw him do some outrageous things and say some outrageous things in the debate with Hillary Clinton. It's just an opportunity for him to show his extremism. ”

Democratic lawmakers have spoken publicly about Biden's candidacy based on his record.

But they privately acknowledge that they expect President Trump to fall under the weight of more than 90 felonies and a penchant for conflict and outlandish claims that alienate women and voters. .

At the same time, they acknowledge that voters' perception of Biden's age (81) is his biggest political responsibility.

Democrats believe Mr. Biden won his two debates with Mr. Trump in 2020, but Mr. Biden would be four years older if he faced him on stage again. Trump turned 77 in June.

Some Democrats worry that Mr. Trump's image is so bad that simply exceeding low expectations on the debate stage with Mr. Biden will be as helpful as winning the debate outright. Some people do.

That's what happened during the 2000 presidential campaign, when former President George W. Bush outperformed expectations in the first debate with then-Vice President Al Gore.

But the biggest concern is that putting Mr. Trump on stage next to Mr. Biden and giving him a similar amount of time in front of a national audience would result in him regularly making inflammatory statements and claiming that the 2020 election was stolen. The idea is that this may have some sort of legitimizing effect on candidates who continue to advocate.

Mr. Trump recently surprised even Republicans on Capitol Hill when he said that immigrants “taint the blood of our country.”

“This is the kind of fascist bombast that America should reject from both political parties,” Durbin said.

Some Democrats say Trump should not be on the ballot because they believe he violated the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment prohibits anyone who takes an oath to uphold the Constitution and later commits rebellion or rebellion from holding federal office. The Supreme Court said Friday it would consider Colorado's ruling on the issue.

Democratic senators say the decision to debate Trump rests entirely with Biden and his campaign, but some see no need for Biden to debate Trump. Some people claim that.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), a close ally of Mr. Biden, called Mr. Trump's comments about immigrants contaminating the country “hateful, fascist statements,” adding that Mr. He added that he was doing so “in a specific manner.”

“I was in the room for the 2020 debate, and the moderator was Chris Wallace. The former president had no respect for the rules, the traditions, the decorum of presidential debates,” Coons said. Ta. “It was a disaster.”

Coons was referring to the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump in September 2020, which descended into chaos due to interruptions and mix-ups.

Wallace, then a Fox News anchor, later accused President Trump of being “primarily responsible for what happened” and said voters across the country were getting “the debate they wanted” and “deserved.” expressed dissatisfaction with not being able to do so.

Mr. Coons noted that although Mr. Trump is considered the overwhelming favorite, he has not yet won the Republican nomination, and said, “I have no intention of getting ahead of myself with my campaign strategy.''

But the Delaware senator said there was no reason to enhance his prestige as a candidate by debating President Trump, especially given Trump's refusal to debate his primary Republican opponent. Stated.

“The fact that former President Trump failed to act in a minimally rational manner during the 2020 debate, and now refuses to debate his primary opponent, shows that he has no dignity as a candidate. “That would be a pretty strong case for lack of “shared debate stages,'' Coons said.

Coons stressed that he was not speaking on behalf of the Biden campaign.

But not all Democrats agree that Biden doesn't need to debate Trump.

James Carville, a longtime Democratic strategist, said it would be risky for Biden to take on Trump, but it would be bad for the president to sidestep his opponent.

“If you don't, you'll get damaged.” [debate]. If we don’t do it well, there will be damage,” he said. “That's kind of expected of a presidential candidate.”

Mr. Carville said that even if Mr. Trump would not be able to vote in most states if he were convicted of any of the dozens of felonies he currently faces, he would still be considered a legitimate candidate if he were chosen as the Republican nominee. He said that you can get sex.

“If he wins the nomination, Republican primary voters will give him legitimacy. I mean, they're not going to hand it out like gummy bears or something,” he said. Ta.

Carville said that although neither Biden nor Trump have made any promises yet, the Commission on Presidential Debates has already scheduled three general election debates later this year in Texas, Virginia and Utah. It pointed out.

“Someone will take a poll and 73 percent of the public will think there should be a debate,” he predicted. “You are free to do or not do as you see fit, but there are consequences.”

Carville said Trump would be “screaming and screaming” if Biden didn't debate.

The chief strategist for former President Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign acknowledged that Biden's age was an issue, but avoiding a debate with Trump would only put Biden in an even brighter spotlight. I warned you that.

“Not having the discussion would definitely emphasize the age issue,” he says. “This is clearly a decision that will be debated, analyzed and carefully considered.” [comb]”

Carville suggested that Biden “could agree to one or the other.”

Strategists say Biden could have more momentum in a debate with Trump if polls show him still trailing Trump in the months before Election Day.

Some polls, including a recent survey of registered voters nationwide by The New York Times and Siena College, show Trump leading Biden among registered voters nationwide. ing.

Democratic strategist Steve Jarding said that over the summer and fall, Trump refused to face Republican challengers, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and He said he had lost the influence to call for a general election debate.

“You're the wrong person to suggest that Mr. Trump is setting the parameters. This is a man who has refused to debate his Republican opponent. So when he demands 10 debates, ' You can’t do that, Don,’” he said.

“Yes, age plays a role, but Trump is no spring chicken either,” Jarding said. “Biden has a history of doing pretty well in previous debates” in 2020.

Jarding said that from an incumbent's perspective, “if things are going well, you're going to want to have a discussion.” If things aren't going well, you don't want to argue. Because you're going to be talking about what's not going well, and it's going to be highlighted. ”

Questions about Biden's “age” and Trump's “bluff” aside, Jarding said Biden has strong reasons to debate because of his own track record, which includes an unemployment rate of less than 4% for 22 consecutive months. He said this is because it gives him an opportunity to talk about it.

“Gasoline prices are down and we just had a good December jobs report. Things are going pretty well,” he said. “Inflation is under control…usually that's what I like to discuss.”

But he acknowledged it was a “risk” to expect a fact-based discussion about the economy with Trump because “Trump doesn't play by any rules.”

“I understand there's a risk, but I think the publicity gained could potentially be off the charts. An American president would say, 'This is my record.' I’m proud of that,” he said. “That's dangerous. If the economy wasn't doing well, you'd say, 'No, no.' He didn't discuss his Republican opponents, there's no need to. Don't give him a say. ”