Former President Trump said Thursday he doesn’t want to underestimate President Biden ahead of next week’s debate.
Trump Joined the host On the “All In” podcast, he was asked for his predictions for next Thursday’s debate, the first time the two will go head-to-head since the 2020 presidential debates.
“Well, all I can say is this: I watched him against Paul Ryan and he crushed Paul Ryan,” Trump said, before adding, “And he beat Paul Ryan. So I don’t underestimate him.”
Before serving as vice president under President Barack Obama, Biden faced off against former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in the 2012 vice presidential debate.
Biden was widely seen as the debate’s leading figure, with his combative spirit and energetic performance.
Trump and Biden agreed in mid-May to hold two debates before the election. Trump chose to skip this Republican primary debate and instead participate in campaign activities.
The June 27 debate will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, and will be moderated by CNN.
The two candidates agreed to a set of rules for the showdown, including automatic muting of microphones, to avoid chaos like the last time Trump and Biden faced off onstage.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said on a podcast a week before the debate, but he believes Biden is “incompetent” because he has “the worst foreign and domestic policies.”
Trump, who recently turned 78, has frequently criticized Biden’s age — Biden will turn 82 shortly after the election — and was asked by one of the moderators whether he thought Biden was experiencing cognitive decline.
“I don’t think he’s doing particularly well, which I shouldn’t say,” he said, “but I don’t think he was doing particularly well 25 years ago either.”
Trump added that he’s never thought Biden was a “smart guy” and has never been a fan of the longtime former senator.
“I was never a fan of his, but he beat Paul Ryan — many years ago — and lost by a large margin,” Trump said. “I think he’d be a valuable debate figure. I don’t want to underestimate him.”
