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

[Obama24]

Is it this time of the year again?

If I were Biden, I would accept under the condition that Trump publishes his tax returns.

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1791695874512363954

Biden would never accept to any drug test under any conditions, no matter what was offered in return.

[Obama24]

I wonder if Anderson Cooper will start crying again and yelling at people if anyone laughs at Trumps jokes.

No live audience.

Folks, you know people say I'm funny. Really funny. I mean, you saw what happened with Peter Kay at that big stadium in Manchester they're building. They had to cancel it because it wasn't ready. They should have asked President Donald John Trump to present there instead. I would do my performance anywhere. I'd do it in a half-built stadium in Manchester, England. Or Mozambique, or Zambia, or in front of the Herbert Hoover Library or anywhere. And I'd attract so many people. So many people. All of them legal, ticket-holding citizens. And I'd make them laugh. Every single one. Hell, I think I might even be able to make old Joe Eighty-Million laugh. But we'll see.

Is that a real quote? I can never parse Trump quotes from the parodies....

But if he moved to Mozambique that would bother me none.

[Obama24]

First Debate Preview

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7KNVDLgFP6/

To be fair they're both better in math than I am. Math outside of the practical day to day stuff always sounds like space language to me.

[Obama24]

First Debate Preview

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7KNVDLgFP6/

To be fair they're both better in math than I am. Math outside of the practical day to day stuff always sounds like space language to me.

Fun fact, real math doesn't even have numbers!

Wdym? I started falling asleep in math class around the times they started talking about quadratic equations and all that stuff. I know enough to manage a budget, but all the stuff beyond day to day stuff bored me to tears.

[Obama24]

Maybe it was mentioned somewhere but i guess none of the debates will be a townhall meeting.

Correct. It was a huge expense that we're probably better off without.

God forbid the voters get to ask questions to the candidates directly.

[Obama24]

I do have to ask, might CNN be cheeky, think they'd get more views in a three way debate, and count states where Kennedy turned in way more signatures than needed as him having ballot access?

Outside that, I don't think he makes it in unless the Libertarians somehow crossnominate him.

The Biden campaign seems to be under the impression that CNN would do the opposite and find a technicality to lock Kennedy out.

If the Biden or Trump campaigns do not want Kennedy on the stage he will not be there. CNN is in no position to dictate the rules. Biden campaign can simply refuse to do a 3 way debate and insist Kennedy would be nothing but a distraction only there because Trump is afraid to debate 1 on 1.

FWIW If I was the Biden campaign there is no way I would agree to a three way debate.

If Trump and his campaign really believe that RFK Jr. is siphoning votes from them (like the news say) then I don't get why they should want him on the debate stage.

I’ve given this some thought. Maybe Trump et al feel if Kennedy is on stage, he can make Kennedy look like a nut or delegitimise him EG how Jeb, Rubio etc were handled in 2016. He might feel he could knock Kennedy’s appeal down. You want this guy who’s trying to be me? No you want the real me.

[Obama24]

RFK Jr. being up there would at least add something new to the mix. I can only imagine he'll come off as completely awful, probably even worse than the other two.

Yeah, I don't think RFK's campaign team actually wants him in this debate. They want him excluded so he can complain...

Can you imagine this guy and Trump going back and forth?

Watching this interview, this guy (RFK) is a snake and he has a convenient answer / excuse for everything he is called out on. Also, it's very libertarian of him to want to ban late term abortion - I thought libertarianism was about personal freedom? It says a lot about his character that he would literally rather say worms ate part of his brain than pay spousal support. I am against alimony in its present form, but to try to claim worms ate your brain to dodge it?

[Obama24]

Kinda hope a fist fight breaks out between Biden and Trump, or curse words are exhanged.

[Obama24]

Kinda hope a fist fight breaks out between Biden and Trump, or curse words are exhanged.

Guaranteed heart attack for one or both if they throw hands.

I really just wanna hear one of them drop the F bomb at the other, or Trump get heated and say a racial slur. I don't even consider these to be genuine debates in the Nixon-Kennedy sense lol. It's a step above WWE or Jerry Springer now.

[Obama24]

I don't know why people expect this to be cancelled, why would it be? Either one backing out would look awful for them.

I'm more interested if the rules will hold - i.e., no audience, mics being cut off, etc.

And given that this is 3 weeks, there's no way RFK is making this debate.

It wouldn't be a big deal if Trump backed out.

Yes it would be, and it would be a coup for the Biden campaign. He could easily then pull an Ossoff and either stand there alone, or have a last minute town hall scheduled.

I'm so exhausted at people thinking every single bad decision Trump will or can make is somehow not affecting him.

I agree with you actually. Pulling out of this debate would probably shift the polls in a direction toward Biden, and then combine that with the sentencing coming just 2 or so weeks later, than the DNC, you could see them shift toward Biden for the rest of the cycle.

[Obama24]

I think having the debates earlier in the year helps Trump, actually.

The public memory is short. Unless he absolutely BOMBS the first debate, I think most will consider it a draw and it won't be in the public memory by November.

The second and final debate is September 10th. That's almost 2 months out from the election. Again, unless Trump bombs this one, has a Gerald Ford "there is no domination of Eastern Europe" moment, I don't think it'll have any major impact. For either, really

[Obama24]

I think having the debates earlier in the year helps Trump, actually.

The public memory is short. Unless he absolutely BOMBS the first debate, I think most will consider it a draw and it won't be in the public memory by November.

The second and final debate is September 10th. That's almost 2 months out from the election. Again, unless Trump bombs this one, has a Gerald Ford "there is no domination of Eastern Europe" moment, I don't think it'll have any major impact. For either, really

"no matter what happens with the debates, it helps Trump actually"

god i am EXHAUSTED

I'm just stating my opinion.

Usually debates are held in late September - mid October, when the performance of such would perhaps swing the election. It's been commonly suggested that the second debate in 1976 cost Gerry Ford the election and that if that election were held just two weeks later, he would've won. Al Gore may have lost 2000 in part because in the debates he came off stiff and pushy compared to Bush.

But these are different. We're having our first debate in the middle of summer. MONTHS out from the election. The second is in mid September, almost two months out.

I just don't see a downside for Trump with them unless he makes a massive gaffe that doesn't resound well. The bar is very very very low for both he and Biden. Trump needs to not make a racial slur and Biden needs to not fall asleep or even seem with it for either to have 'done well'