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left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 07:09 PM Jan 2019

Trump may skip debates in 2020

Refusing to attend any general election debates would certainly break with recent presidential norms, but Trump has engaged in a lot of norm-breaking during his first two years in office. His assault on the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation have spawned numerous investigations and scrutiny. He would be the first president since Richard Nixon in 1972 to spurn general election debates, which would actually be appropriate as numerous parallels have been drawn between the two.

An incumbent president would likely see little upside to taking part in debates that he was likely to lose and would only further elevate the stature and profile of his opponent. The Republican National Committee already voted to abolish a standing committee on primary debates in May to ensure that Trump wouldn't have to debate someone like John Kasich or Jeff Flake if they decided to mount a primary challenge.

Let's also not forget that Trump has a track record of skipping debates or threatening to do so. He famously boycotted a Republican primary debate in Iowa because of a dispute with moderator Megyn Kelly.

It strains credulity to believe that Trump would agree to debate with a moderator selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates. He previously complained that two debates they scheduled purposely conflicted with major National Football League games.

For all of these reasons, betting that Trump will appear on the debate stage again in the fall of 2020 is a losing proposition.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/427099-dnc-should-be-cautious-about-overemphasizing-debates-as-trump-may-skip-them

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localroger

(3,603 posts)
9. By that time?
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 08:40 PM
Jan 2019

I am wondering how many bottles of urine and bags of Big Mac boxes are hidden under the furniture in the Oval Office.

Sanity Claws

(21,822 posts)
2. The fed pen usually doesn't let inmates out for debate purposes
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 07:13 PM
Jan 2019

Yes, don't bet on Trump showing up for debates in 2020.

RKP5637

(67,030 posts)
4. Someone needs to stand up and have the guts to take the reins of the republican party
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 07:22 PM
Jan 2019

away from tRump. Someone could attend the debates anyway and leave tRump out of the debates all together.

John Fante

(3,479 posts)
5. Not a bad idea. Dotard in 2016 gave the three worst debate performances in history.
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 07:30 PM
Jan 2019

An empty podium can't do any worse. At least it won't nauseate us with its coke sniffles.

Gothmog

(143,999 posts)
6. I would not be surprised to see trump hide like a coward
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 07:46 PM
Jan 2019

Either Senator Harris or Joe Biden would tear him up in a debate

onetexan

(12,994 posts)
11. the Idiot is doing this to dodge questions about the myriad of evils he and his enablers have
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 09:29 PM
Jan 2019

inflicted upon the country and its citizens so far.
He shouldn't plan on showing up for debates anyway. Mueller's report will be out sometime this year, and if we have our way, the FBI will haul his butt to the fed pen.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
13. Why not? He's skipped them before
Mon Jan 28, 2019, 03:29 PM
Jan 2019

and it didn't hurt him since the media still flocked to whatever crazy ass speech he decided to deliver instead.

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