Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on Friday suggested former President Trump use humor instead of anger when he faces off against President Biden in next week’s presidential debate.
“My advice to Trump is to deal with Biden with humor, not anger, because Biden is a pathetic man. And, as you all know, he’s so disingenuous, I don’t think you can take him seriously,” Gingrich said on Fox News on Friday.
“Trump just needs to stay calm,” he added. “Why not ask Biden questions like, ‘Did you actually know Vladimir Putin, who was a lieutenant colonel in the East German KGB?’ – which Biden claims he did – or ‘Do you believe your uncle was eaten by cannibals?'”
In April, Biden suggested that his uncle, 2nd Lt. Ambrose J. Finnegan Jr., an Army Air Corps pilot, was shot down over Papua New Guinea during World War II and eaten by cannibals, a comment that drew criticism from Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape, who said the country could not be associated with cannibalism.
Gingrich also suggested that Trump ask Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, about the laptop controversy in order to “move” the sitting president.
Trump and Biden are scheduled to face off in a CNN debate next Thursday.
The two candidates, who are the presumptive nominees for their respective parties, met the requirements for last week’s debate, but other candidates, including independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., did not.
The debate is widely expected to be a pivotal moment for both candidates as they seek to secure voter support in the final stages of the campaign, with both Biden and Trump facing concerns about their fitness for the presidency due to issues related to their age and temperament.
Noting that the debate is taking place just months before the November election, Gingrich argued that “anyone can bounce back from anything,” but still noted the challenges Biden is likely to face.
“The problem for Biden is that he has a very difficult road ahead of him. The morning after this debate, Americans will be back at the grocery store and reminded just how expensive everything is. Within the next couple of days, [after] “This debate will see illegal immigrants commit crimes that make national news,” Gingrich said.
Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, go into the debate neck and neck in national opinion polls.
Trump currently leads Biden by just 0.6 percentage points, according to a national polling index from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ.
Trump and his allies signaled last week that they would dismiss Biden’s strong debate performance as a farce, repeating unfounded claims that if the incumbent president’s performance was well received it was because he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Allies of the former president made the same argument earlier this year in an attempt to downplay Biden’s State of the Union address, with some Republicans trying to portray the sitting president as a frail, confused old man.
Some have warned Republicans not to discount Biden ahead of the debate, including Fox News host and former Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, who said Republicans “have to be very careful” about setting expectations for the debate.
“I mean, I don’t know why Republicans would fall into the trap of having high expectations,” Gowdy replied, presumably referring to the high expectations the former president has for Biden’s performance.
Trump said Thursday he didn’t want to underestimate Biden ahead of the debate.
“Well, all I can say is this: I watched him against Paul Ryan and he crushed Paul Ryan,” Trump said on the “All In” podcast. “And he beat Paul Ryan. So I’m not underestimating him.”
Before serving as vice president under President Barack Obama, Biden faced off against former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in the vice presidential debate in 2012. Biden gave an energetic and competitive performance and was widely considered the favorite.
