Trump: No Presidential debates in 2020

That is a very wise decision. His advisors should tell him to stick to it.

He has absolutely nothing to gain from debating, and a lot to lose. He must stay in control of the circumstances, and any debate format involves a loss of control and a necessity to share the mic.

His hard-core supporters tend to watch Fox News, which always presents the president in the best light. It doesn’t matter what kind of scandals are exposed on the other networks, because his base doesn’t watch them. But if the debate is on CNN, his followers will be watching, and that gives CNN a chance to tell them the truth. Moderators will be asking and following up on tough questions, and analysts will be correcting his false statements with facts.

No matter what other decision he makes, he definitely should not agree to a debate format with a live audience. His schtick doesn’t work without his hand-picked, low-information audiences. The statements that work at his rallies might well be laughed at by a randomly-selected audience, much as they were at the U.N. And I don’t think he understands how to modify his routine to fit the circumstances. He seemed genuinely surprised when they laughed at him in the general assembly.

22 thoughts on “Trump: No Presidential debates in 2020

  1. From an economics perspective, the problem with Ayn Rand as it is with the Austrian School and the right wingers who argue for what they call ‘economic freedom’ (or, more accurately a limited regulation environment) is that they their philosophies are all based on the notion that ‘market failures’ don’t exist.

  2. It’s like the secret of selling burritos: advertise a lot, but NEVER show the product.

  3. I went to Wharton (coincidentally where Trump went) and I’m a left leaning independent. I will vote against racist, religion obsessed conservatives any day. It’s more important to me to protect my fellow man and woman, regardless of the color of their skin or their religion, than to join money grubbing elitists who lie to the poor and gullible to gain votes and pad their own pockets. I vote with my heart and I refuse to allow bigotry, racism, and division to be lauded and propagated. I donate to plenty of charities, but that doesn’t protect innocent people of color, women or minorities from the culture of the right.

    1. I don’t believe in giving handouts to women and minorities. I don’t believe in giving handouts to anyone. That doesn’t make me racist; it makes me selfish. I can live with that. I earned what I have. I don’t have to share.

  4. I’m an Ivy League educated independent and I will vote for trump any day over the insane leftists. It’s more important to me to protect the economy than to join the loonies on the social justice marches. I vote with my wallet and I refuse to be taxed to support social programs that benefit everyone except for me. I donate plenty to charities.

    1. Or did you mean that you refuse to pay tax dollars for programs that benefit ANYONE other than yourself? Because then you’re just a greedy asshole… but you support Trump, so that is obvious.

      1. Basically this. I refuse to pay for things that don’t benefit me. I didn’t sign up to take care of your family. I have my own family to care for. My taxes cover plenty already.

    2. Well, you are a poster child for what a sham the Ivy League is…clearly you weren’t well educated….

      1. Well considering I got accepted by Ivy League schools and you didn’t (by definition) I was a better student than you. Regardless of what you may think, being left doesn’t make you smart.

        1. Five will get you two that after spouting all that Ayn Rand drivel, he would also describe himself as a Christian.

          Thanks for being part of the problem, buddy!

          1. Hey Don, congrats on not checking *all* the boxes. While Rand’s philosophy is weak-ass refried Nietszche and her personal life was a trainwreck, she could write some. Fountainhead and Atlas both might have been half-decent 400-page novels if anyone had dared edit her, but look for a short story called Anthem. It’s actually pretty good and gets her point across without beating a dead horse until all the flesh has been ripped off the bone, then whipping the bone. {How is “Whipping the Bone” not yet the title of a speed-metal album?}

  5. You are right about the “routine” he does. I never claimed I was good but I did work the comedy clubs for 10 years and understand he cadance. I noticed early in his campaign he was looking for applause breaks and using hyperbole for punch lines. He could debate without going face to face. He could just keep holding his rallies and attack whatever the Democratic party throws out.

    1. That is exactly what I would do in his stead. Stay with a friendly audience. Don’t give your opponent a chance to appear on the same level.

  6. I’d bet he’ll end up debating. I just can’t see him being able to avoid taking the bait of being called a coward by the Democratic nominee, especially if it’s a woman. He’ll end up agreeing to a debate in one of his dementia-fueled off-script stream-of-consciousness riffs, and won’t be able to back down from it.

    1. You may be right. That would follow the pattern of his unwise, impulsive and reckless assumption of full credit/blame for the shutdown.

      Plus we can apply the Bizarro World rule. Since not debating would be the wise thing to do, Bizarro Trump will debate.

      1. Remember, he only said he wouldn’t do any general election debates on the non-Fox networks. So presumably we’ll still have the excitement of Trump versus William Weld in the primaries to look forward forward to!

        And after Trump has warmed up there, I predict there’ll be no stopping him. 🙂

  7. I’m with Dan Rather on this. These events are so extensively choreographed and the questions so superficial that it hasn’t really been a *debate* since about the time the League of Women Voters was running things. Might as well not pretend.

    Still, the good folks over at Bad Lip Reading are bound to be disappointed.

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