Miami Herald (Sunday)

How Trump, Biden are preparing for first debate

- BY STEVE PEOPLES AND ZEKE MILLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Ahead of the first debate-stage matchup between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, each campaign is promising a stark contrast in policy, personalit­y and preparatio­n.

Trump has decided to skip any formal preparatio­n. And while Biden’s team believes the significan­ce of the debate may be exaggerate­d, the Democratic nominee has been aggressive­ly preparing to take on the president.

Rather than campaign, Biden’s campaign has been holding mock debate sessions featuring Bob Bauer, a senior Biden adviser and former White House general counsel, playing the role of Trump, according to a person with direct knowledge of the preparatio­ns granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy.

Bauer has not actually donned a Trump costume in line with Trump standins from previous years, but he is representi­ng his style and expected strategy.

“I’m sure the president will throw everything he can at [Biden]. My guess is that they’re preparing for that — bombarding him with insults and weird digression­s,” said Jay Carney, a former aide to Biden and President Barack Obama.

“I think it’s an important moment — I think it’s really important for President Trump, because the direction of this election has been pretty stable for a long time now, and he needs to shake it up as any candidate would who’s behind,” Carney added. “The question is, can that work?”

Trump and Biden are scheduled to meet on the debate stage for the first time Tuesday night at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The 90minute event moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace is the first of three scheduled presidenti­al debates. Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, will also debate in October.

For some, the debates represent the most important moments in the 2020 campaign’s closing days, a rare opportunit­y for millions of voters to compare the candidates’ policies and personalit­ies side-by-side on prime-time television.

Trump has been trailing Biden in the polls for the entire year, a reality that gives the president an urgent incentive to change the direction of the contest on national television if he can.

Others, including those close to Biden’s campaign, do not expect the debates to fundamenta­lly change the race no matter what happens, given voters’ daily struggles with the pandemic and the economy. They also point to high-profile debates in past elections thought to be game-changing moments at the time but that ultimately had little lasting effect.

Those with knowledge of Biden’s preparatio­ns suggest he will not take the fight to Trump if he can avoid it. But on Saturday, at least, he was on the attack when he discussed his strategy on MSNBC.

“I’m prepared to go out and make my case as to why I think he’s failed and why I think the answers I have to proceed will help the American people, the American economy and make us safer internatio­nally,” Biden said, arguing that Trump won’t persuade voters with broadsides because “the people know the president is a liar.”

While Biden has said he will try to be a fact checker of sorts on stage, the Democrat is being advised to avoid direct confrontat­ions and instead redirect the conversati­on to more familiar campaign themes of unity and issues that matter most to voters: the economy, health care and the pandemic.

“Arguing over facts, litigating whether what he’s saying is accurate, that is not winning to Biden,” said Jen Psaki, a former Obama aide who is close to Biden’s team. “This is an opportunit­y to speak directly to the American people. His objective should be to speak directly to them, but not be pulled in by Trump. That is hard.”

Trump has not been doing any formal preparatio­n, according to aides and allies who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversati­ons.

No set has been constructe­d and aides refused to say whether anyone is playing Biden. Trump, instead, has maintained that the best preparatio­n is doing his day job — particular­ly his frequent and often contentiou­s interactio­ns with reporters. White House aides also scheduled an ABC town hall earlier this month to expose Trump to real voter questions for the first time in months in preparatio­n for the second debate.

Trump backers are confident that the president is ready to handle any tough questions or pushback from Biden.

“The debates matter,” said Lara Trump, a senior adviser to the campaign and the president’s daughter-inlaw. “Donald Trump certainly did a great job on the debates [in 2016] and I think this will be no different.”

Lara Trump also seemed to simultaneo­usly raise and lower expectatio­ns for Biden.

“Joe Biden spent a lot of time in his basement to study up. He’s been in this game for 47 years. I assume he’ll do OK,” she said. “Quite frankly, the bar has been lowered so much for Joe Biden that if he stays awake for the whole thing it’s like maybe he won.”

 ?? ANNA MONEYMAKER The New York Times ?? President Donald Trump has had no formal debate prep before Tuesday’s scheduled debate with rival Joe Biden.
ANNA MONEYMAKER The New York Times President Donald Trump has had no formal debate prep before Tuesday’s scheduled debate with rival Joe Biden.
 ?? CHANG W. LEE The New York Times ?? Former Vice President Joe Biden has been spending the last week or so preparing for the debate instead of campaignin­g.
CHANG W. LEE The New York Times Former Vice President Joe Biden has been spending the last week or so preparing for the debate instead of campaignin­g.

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