If you answered either yes or no you are not thinking clearly. If you answered maybe, then please explain why.
Question of the Day
“Should President Trump participate in a 2nd Presidential debate with Kamala Harris hosted by Fox News?” by Brigitte Gabriel @ACTBrigitte.
@TaraBull808 asks the same question.
Wrong Answers
Those answers are all wrong but I have sympathy for those who said yes.
Help With Maybe
Instead of the headline question, address this one: Under what conditions should Trump accept a second debate?
The Correct Conditions
- Trump agrees prepare
- Trump refuses to get baited
- Trump does not wing any answers (because he is prepared for every conceivable question)
- Trump does not duck any questions
- Trump stops name calling
- Microphones turned off when not a candidate’s turn to speak
None of those things have anything to do with Harris or the fairness of moderators. They all have to do with Trump preparing for the debate and discipline to stick to a planned script.
Everyone moaning about how rigged the first debate misses the fact that Trump had an easy home run pitch but swung and missed.
I discussed this before.
Trump Refuses a Second Debate With Harris
Let’s recap Trump Refuses a Second Debate With Harris, Good Move?
Terrible Responses
Trump wasted time disputing people left his rallies early.
And his abortion answer was a disaster. When asked if he would sign legislation banning abortion Trump refused to answer the question. He should have been prepared for this question.
The correct answer is: “Of course. This is a states rights issue. If I signed it, the Supreme Court would overrule it. I care about constitutional issues, Kamala Harris doesn’t. The same applies to student debt. This administration constantly flouts the Supreme Court.”
Trump was not prepared for any question.
Q: Why?
A: Trump has said repeatedly he does not need to prepare for debates.This is part of his arrogant, narcissist, know-it-all mentality. And he claims to be the world’s best negotiator.
There’s another hoot. Good negotiators don’t get baited into stupid answers.
But, But, But This Was Three-On-One Debate
Yes, the fact checking was totally one-sided. It was so bad that some claim ABC won the debate.
OK, the fact checking was one-sided.
But Trump missed a clean home run opportunity to point that out. He could have hit a home run against Harris and ABC by calmly asking ….
“How come the fact checking is one sided? Why didn’t you fact check Harris on Project 25? On the costs of tariffs?”
The rest of the fact checking was self-imposed. It was stupid of Trump to make controversial claims. Instead of talking about Haitians eating cats (whether true or not), Trump should have focused on immigration crime, diseases like tuberculous (now spreading due to immigration), and the fact that immigration demand is pushing up the cost of housing.
These are not after-the-fact assessments, these were my thoughts real time.
Trump was totally unprepared for any question. And every question was easy to have foreseen!
So don’t tell me Harris knew the questions. The local barber knew the questions. Everyone did.
This much is clear: Trump lost, the nation lost, and so did ABC.
Follow-Up Question of the Day
Would Trump have enough discipline to not make another fool of himself, repeatedly taking the bait?
If yes, he should accept the debate and repeatedly call out Harris if she does not answer questions. If not, he should decline and hope for the best.
Trump appears to be doing better recently but it is foolish to think he is way ahead or guaranteed to win. Nobody knows the true odds.
Are you really happy with Polymarket odds of 53.3 percent for Trump? If so, you’re crazy. 53 percent is little more than a tossup and not guaranteed to get any higher.
And if you think the odds are really 60-40 for Trump, there is no solid reason to believe that now.
There is one other condition I would like to see: Both sides should agree to answer every question and be interrupted by the moderator if they don’t answer.
I would not make that a condition to acceptance, but the more Trump is willing to prepare and directly answer every question, the more he should push for that requirement.
Just curious, what’s your answer to the lead question now?