In early February, former President Trump offered to debate the issues – “immediately” – with President Biden. He just offered again, anywhere, any time. Biden dismissed the idea. What are Trump’s options? He has many. They are almost as entertaining as debate(s) would be.
First, recognize incumbents usually tend not to want debates, since the sitting president is viewed as “in charge,” competent, typically ahead in the polls, and able to use incumbency’s power to put off a challenger.
None of that works for Biden this year. His challenger is a former president, a leader who – whether you like him or not – has been in charge, whose objective data on the economy, military, border, crime, and public confidence stood him in good stead when he governed and looks better today than back then.
Public polling for Biden is stunningly negative and continues to trend down, with 86 percent of the nation assessing he is too old for a second term, more than half deeply unhappy with him, many personally embarrassed at his penchant to miss cues, forget basics, misstate facts, mentally stumble, live in a fog.
Competence is even in question now, with a special prosecutor assessing criminal charges for taking and mishandling classified documents could not be proven – not because Biden did not do that, he admittedly did, but because “specific intent” cannot be proved, as Biden cannot remember taking them.
Think about that assessment, it is damning. If he cannot recall taking them, why he did, why he stored them as he did, when it happened, or even when he started and finished as vice president, is this who you want handling the nuclear football, taking us to war? Who would want him even sitting with their kids?
So, Biden’s incumbency advantage – like most of what he touches – is underwater, a negative, not helping. So, Trump could pull a Sun-Tzu move, and point this out, then say he wants to give Biden a chance to get himself back above water, a chance to outdebate him. Even Biden folks might say do it.
Second, if that does not work, Trump could pick a good Biden surrogate, a real lefty Democrat, or just a stand-in, a kind of fake Biden, and then forcefully debate him, roll the issues out, and show the contrast.
Third, Trump could set up a life-sized video projector and roll through several dozen Biden clips, the ones that show Biden hardly getting ideas out or contradicting himself, but also stating his absurd positions on Afghanistan, China, the economy, border, crime, police – the lies, and then respond to each.
Fourth, Trump could buy an hour of time, the way Ross Perot once did in 1992, and put a chair out on the stage, the way Clint Eastwood did at the Republican Convention a while back, and then debate the chair, introduce some humor, have some fun, mock Biden’s incompetence and implicit cowardice.
Fifth, Trump could just roll an hour of competing clips, what he thinks, said, and did, then what Biden thinks, said, and did. This would probably boost the US economy, and trigger a popcorn sellout. Then Trump could hold a rally, in front of the White House, but make clear no one was to show up as a buffalo.
Sixth, Trump could offer to debate on any terms, make it a more public and specific offer, to debate in Biden’s basement, in Afghanistan (oh no, that will not work anymore), in front of Biden’s Corvette, at the Lincoln Memorial, at the Reagan Library, in Ukraine (oh no, that won’t work anymore), at the US border (no, Secret Service would not allow that), maybe just at Hunter’s favorite bank, or at a Trump Hotel.
Seventh, Trump could allow Biden to use cue cards, read a teleprompter, have a chair, allow Jill to stand at his side, and put occasional calls into advisors, to President Macron, President Zelensky, President Putin, or President Xi (Oh no, Xi is not taking his calls now, although he might help him win the debate).
Eighth, Trump could give Biden a 20-minute head start, let him debate himself, slur affectionately with the audience, shuffle about sniffing kid’s hair, talk with dead congressmen and French presidents, roll out a string of his best lines, “come on man,” “we take stuff seriously,” “hell no,” “what documents?”
Ninth, Trump could throw down, forget the debates, and challenge Biden to an hour’s Jeopardy game, a rolling mental health test, categories like business, law, borders, security, leaders, art, math, or just maybe quick recall of the alphabet, geography, couple subtractions on the spot, and the nuclear codes.
Tenth, Trump could just shrug, and keep winning. One thing is for sure, a debate between Trump and Biden would be entertaining, if embarrassing, at least for one of them… don’t you think?
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
