Presidential debate megathread (debate 1: June 27, 9pm EDT, CNN)

[Sir Mohamed]

So we're going to have a debate in JUNE?

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1790733026525085828

[Sir Mohamed]

Why are either of them so eager to debate? Seems like a big risk for both campaigns

Maybe because the race is a tossup and each side wants to pull ahead.

[Sir Mohamed]

Trump is going to get destroyed. He is in mid-stage dementia. All Biden has to do is answer the questions concisely and he wins. I absolutely can’t believe Trump accepted. Maybe he had no choice because the electorate would perceive him as a coward if he ducked the debates

Trump just loves the attention and he will claim that he "won by a tremendous margin" no matter how horrible is performance is. The dude is a shameless naracissist.

[Sir Mohamed]

It's really happening.

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1790713878248038478

[Sir Mohamed]

I will believe this when it actually happens. Trump has been known to spew nonsense on Truth Social before (literally all the time). We don't need RFK Jr. up there. Trump will already be saying all kinds of crazy things. No need to have two candidates doing that.

Especially no need for a candidate with a 0% - in words zero - chance to actually win the election.

[Sir Mohamed]

Excellent news. Either Biden slays and calms everyone down, or he sucks and we replace him at the convention.

He isn't going to be replaced, but I really doubt he craters. Even 50% of his SOTU performance would be solid. If he can repeat this, he's going to roll over Trump.

[Sir Mohamed]

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1791058787463258555

[Sir Mohamed]

Will the other debates in October still happen then?

Doubtful. Biden sent CPD a letter that their debates are too close to the election in an era of such prolific early and mail in voting and also that they haven't been able to control candidates in the past and refuse to cut the mics.

Yup, but I'm somewhat concerned this becomes the new norm. The presidential election cycle is already way too long. Early voting for sure is an argument, but im my opinion debates shouldn't occur before the first half of September.

The extended length of campaigns contributes to voter fatigue and disengagement. With campaigns stretching over a year or more, voters can become overwhelmed by the constant barrage of political messaging and may lose interest in the election process altogether. Additionally, the prolonged campaign season allows for an excessive amount of fundraising and spending on advertising. candidates and incumbents are forced to spend significant amounts of time and money on campaigning, which can - in latter's case - detract from their ability to govern effectively. Shortening the campaign period would also help to reduce the influence of money in politics.

[Sir Mohamed]

RFK needs one more poll over 15% to qualify for the debate now.

And ballot access in states with at least 270 electoral votes.

Which seems extremely unlikely. Where's the other 3 polls for RFK over 15% though? Are we counting the entire cycle or is there a time frame? He's only been above 15 in one recently (Marquette out today?)

I actually thought he needed 15% on average, not in an x number of polls. Ergo, RCP or 538 average.

[Sir Mohamed]

I strongly recommend that Trump hire Ljube as a debate strategist.

Still bold to assume Trump would take advice from anyone not named Donald J. Trump.

[Sir Mohamed]

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1805555163412754932