Behind the White House smokescreen that President Joe Biden is fit, energetic and sharp as a tack behind closed doors, the first presidential debate between Biden and Donald Trump could present a make-or-break pivot point in the race for the Oval Office.
While the White House argues that the concerns are hysteria drummed up by Republicans and their allies in right-wing media, prominent Democrats, too, have voiced their worry about Biden’s fitness and reelection chances. Even foreign media took notice of a slower and fragile Biden following his trip to the G7.
Thanks to his increasing frequency of gaffes and freezes, expectations for Biden ahead of the first debate are low — perhaps even too low, some political observers told the Caller.
“I think our side has to make sure that we keep the bar off the floor because right now, merely showing up is a win [for Biden],” Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary and host of the Sean Spicer podcast, told the Daily Caller. “This is a guy who’s been in politics for 50 years, and we need to remind everybody, including journalists, that he prides himself on being a strong debater. And I actually think that, just like State of the Union, they will, they will do what’s necessary to get him ready and rested.”
Many observers, particularly on the right, speculated that Biden may have been medicated for the State of the Union to increase his energy and attention levels. Trump seemingly made a similar allusion about the first debate, telling supporters during a campaign speech that if the president performs it’s because he is “pumped up.”
After challenging Biden to debate “anywhere, any place, any time,” the president and his campaign agreed to face off against Trump and his team. The proposal, put forth by Biden and his campaign, was riddled with conditions. Among those non-negotiables were no live audience, a select variety of networks to host and only two candidates on stage.
With CNN set to host the debate on Thursday, many of those conditions were met. The two candidates will skip opening statements and the program will take two commercial breaks. No live audience will be present and the candidates’ microphones will be muted while the other is answering.
At one point, Trump claimed that it was proposed that the candidates sit for the duration of the debate.
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The post ‘Keep The Bar Off The Floor’: Low Expectations Won’t Save Biden From Sleepy Debate Performance, Observers Say appeared first on Dr. Rich Swier.
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Author: The Daily Caller
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