Democrats are not enthusiastic about the prospects of President Joe Biden, 81, facing former President Donald Trump in presidential debates this fall.
The apprehension sheds light on fears about Biden’s diminished physical and mental abilities, as polling shows Americans worry about Biden’s decline:
- Redfield & Wilton Strategies: Majority of Democrats are “concerned” about Biden’s ability.
- YouGov: 55 percent say Biden’s health and age “severely” limit his ability to do the job.
- NBC News: Most registered voters have “major” concerns about Biden’s age and health
“I would think twice about it,” said Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) told the Hill about Biden potentially debating later this year. “I’ve been physically present at one of [Trump’s] debates with Hillary Clinton, and I watched him do outrageous things and say outrageous things. It’s just an opportunity for him to display his extremism.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a Biden ally, said Biden should be weary of debating Trump due to the former president’s ability to overcome establishment media bias. Biden should be careful about allowing Trump to air alleged “hateful, fascist remark,” Coons said.
“I was in the room for one of the debates in 2020 — Chris Wallace was the moderator. The former president in no way at all respected the rules or the tradition or decorum,” Coons told the Hill. “It was a disaster.”
“The fact that former President Trump was unable to conduct himself in just a minimally reasonable way” during the debate “and that he’s refusing to debate any of his primary opponents this time would make a pretty strong case for not dignifying him as a candidate by sharing a debate stage,” Coons added.
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James Carville, the architect of Bill Clinton’s election campaigns, said Biden might be better off not debating to avoid “damage.” On the other hand, Carville explained, if Trump wins the nomination, he will have “legitimacy” to demand a debate with Biden, who could agree to one debate event.
“It’s kind of expected of a presidential candidate,” Carville told the Hill. “If he gets the nomination, Republican primary voters will have given him legitimacy. I mean, we don’t hand it out like gummy bears or something.”
“Somebody’s going to take a poll, and 73 percent of the people will think there ought to be a debate,” he predicted. “You can do it or not do it as you see fit, but there are consequences to it,” he added.
The Commission on Presidential Debates scheduled three events for 2024 in Texas, Virginia, and Utah, Carville noted.
Neither Biden nor Trump committed to the debates.
Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.