{"id":2282455,"date":"2024-06-24T07:01:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T11:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/matter-of-debate-biden-must-show-he-has-command-of-faculties-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-24T07:06:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T11:06:47","slug":"matter-of-debate-biden-must-show-he-has-command-of-faculties-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/matter-of-debate-biden-must-show-he-has-command-of-faculties-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Matter of Debate: Biden must show he has &#8216;command&#8217; of faculties &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmatter-of-debate-biden-must-show-he-has-command-of-faculties-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2282455&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Joe Biden and former President \u200cDonald Trump are preparing for a\u2062 crucial \u200bdebate in\u2063 Atlanta,\u200d which marks the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season. This debate is highly significant, with about 73 million viewers expected,\u2062 partly due to the intrigue surrounding both candidates&#8217; performance after \u2062a significant hiatus from debating. For Biden, there\u2063 are concerns about his age and mental sharpness,\u2064 while Trump, also criticized for his\u200d age, benefits somewhat from lower expectations and his public speaking experience \u2064from his TV and rally\u200b background.<\/p>\n<p>Key issues like\u200b the economy, abortion, and immigration are on the agenda,\u200b but style may overshadow substance, as the debate \u200dcould\u2063 pivot more on whether Biden appears presidential and cognitively\u2064 sharp, and whether Trump can maintain decorum \u2064and look presidential rather than derailing into aggression. Both camps are strategizing intensely: Trump is engaging with advisors and potential VP candidates, while Biden is practicing \u2064with former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain at\u2064 Camp David. \u200cExpectations are set differently for \u2063each,\u2063 with Biden hoping to overcome doubts \u2062about his fitness for\u200c office and Trump needing to appeal beyond his base to undecided voters. The\u200d debate will not involve the\u2064 Commission on Presidential Debates; it will feature standing\u2062 podiums, mic muting to \u200bprevent interruptions, and no breaks\u2064 for consulting with \u2063aides\u2063 or\u2062 accessing prewritten notes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em>President Joe\u00a0Biden\u00a0and former President Donald Trump are set to resume hostilities with the first presidential debate in Atlanta. They are battling low expectations, legal records, and lingering doubts about their records and character, as well as battling each other. The <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> is taking a closer look at the event, which could transform the entire 2024 contest. Part one will look at the expectations facing Biden in the all-important contest that could decide the fate of his reelection bid.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a>\u2018s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/election-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024<\/a> opening <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/debates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>debate<\/a> against former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> is poised to be a make-or-break moment of his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/campaign-2024-an-early-look-at-the-possible-republican-contenders\/\" title=\"Campaign 2024: An Early Look At The Possible Republican Contenders\">reelection campaign<\/a> as the first side-by-side comparison of the two candidates since 2020.<\/p>\n<p>When he steps into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cnn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CNN<\/a>\u2018s TV studio spotlight in Atlanta on Thursday, Biden will have one responsibility: to dispel persistent concerns about his age and mental acuity that have been repeatedly captured by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/polling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>polls<\/a>, including among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Democratic voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite 2024 being a rematch of the 2020 election, longtime Biden supporter, South Carolina Democratic state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, predicted \u201chuge viewership\u201d of Biden and Trump\u2019s opening debate because, he quipped, people are \u201choping for a wreck.\u201d Approximately 73 million people watched their opening debate in Cleveland four years ago, but their first debate this cycle is considered to be even more important because of the state of the race, their polar opposite visions for the country, and the test it presents for Biden given his age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is, in my opinion, more about style than it is about substance,\u201d Harpootlian told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> of the debate. \u201cThey\u2019re going to have some policy differences on how you approach different problems. But I really don\u2019t think that\u2019s what this is about. It\u2019s about does Joe Biden look engaged? Does he look presidential? Is he focused? Alert?\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe right-wing pundits are picking at him from being over the hill, too old, disengaged, walks stiffly,\u201d the lawyer said. \u201cHe needs to show that he\u2019s in command of his faculties, that he can articulate a position that resonates, and, again, who appears to be presidential here? \u2026 It\u2019s in Biden\u2019s advantage to remain calm and appear to be presidential, and be cogent and focused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The debate, the earliest in history and the first to showcase a successor and a predecessor, could be the most important debate \u201cof all time,\u201d according to University of Michigan debate director Aaron Kall. But while the debate is highly anticipated, Kall, the co-author of <em>Debating The Donald<\/em>, contended Trump has lowered expectations for Biden after extensively criticizing him for his \u201cadvanced age.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David Axelrod, a one-time\u00a0advisor to former President Barack Obama, conceded Sunday during an appearance on CNN\u2019s <em>State of the Union<\/em> that Biden has to answer voters\u2019 questions about his age\u00a0during the debate\u00a0and whether he has the \u201cstamina\u201d and \u201cacuity\u201d\u00a0for another four years as president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s obvious the\u00a0president\u00a0has to come out and has to be\u00a0aggressive, and engaged, and energetic,\u00a0and take every opportunity to create a contrast between himself and Trump,\u201d\u00a0Axelrod, a Democratic strategist,\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<p>The lowered expectations for Biden prompted Trump ally and\u00a0possible\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fla-gov-ron-desantis-becoming-major-voice-for-gop\/\" title=\"Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis becoming major voice for GOP\">vice presidential pick<\/a>, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), to warn against having too low of a bar for the president,\u00a0asserting\u00a0during an interview Sunday that his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/near-death-experiences-a-look-back-at-famous-figures-whose-claims-drew-criticism\/\" title=\"\u2018Near-Death\u2019 Experiences: A Look Back At Famous Figures Whose Claims Drew Criticism\">long political career<\/a> has given him the \u201cability\u201d to perform well and that Biden can \u201cstep up\u201d when he needs to.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>But while Biden may have a low bar to clear during the debate, expectations are likely higher for Trump because of his performance during his previous debates, his experience from the reality TV show <em>The Apprentice<\/em>, and the fact that, at 78, \u201che\u2019s a little bit younger\u201d than Biden\u2019s 81, per Kall. <\/p>\n<p>That is regardless of Kall\u2019s criticism of Trump\u2019s Cleveland debate, during which the then-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>COVID-19<\/a> positive candidate was perceived to be too aggressive toward Biden, with the debate coach adding that the pair will likely have to deal with debate \u201crust\u201d after having not debated in four years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cFor all those reasons that people believe that Trump will do better, Trump believes he\u2019s going to do better or else he wouldn\u2019t have agreed to such an early debate and I think President Biden got most of the terms that he wanted,\u201d Kall told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cSometimes debates are more about expectations than the debates themselves. It\u2019s not a high bar for President Biden to clear and, if he doesn\u2019t make a major, disqualifying gaffe, he may be perceived as the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Irrespective of that \u201cif,\u201d Trump has been trying to temper expectations for himself by downplaying his preparation as informal policy discussions compared to Biden\u2019s more formal mock debates. <\/p>\n<p>Trump started sitting down with advisers, policy experts, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-says-hes-made-up-his-mind-on-a-vp-pick-i-know-who-its-going-to-be\/\" title=\"Trump has chosen his VP, says he's certain\">potential vice presidential picks<\/a> in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Biden is scheduled to remain at Camp David, Maryland, with former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a> chief of staff <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-klain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ron Klain<\/a>, who coached him for the 2020 debates, until the debate to practice. En route to the presidential retreat, Biden responded with a thumbs up when asked about his prep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cPresident Trump takes on numerous tough interviews every single week and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-hunker-down-for-debate-prep-against-freewheeling-trump\/\" title=\"Biden to intensively prepare for debate against unpredictable Trump\">delivers lengthy rally speeches<\/a> while standing, demonstrating elite stamina,\u201d Trump campaign spokesman Jason\u00a0Miller told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cHe does not need to be programmed by staff or shot up with chemicals like Joe Biden does.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president will have less time for\u00a0debate\u00a0prep than four years ago given his day job, so prep will largely be confined to immediately prior,\u201d a Biden campaign spokesman countered. \u201cThe president has gotten increasingly punchier in recent remarks about Trump and plans to carry that theme through to the\u00a0debate, while still projecting himself as the wise and steady leader in contrast to Trump\u2019s chaos and division.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Biden campaign has long welcomed the side-by-side comparison between Biden and Trump that the debate will provide, particularly if the president performs as he did during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-of-the-union\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>State of the Union<\/a> in March, according to Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh. Biden\u2019s State of the Union managed to ease the concerns of many Democrats regarding Biden\u2019s age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolitically, for Biden, the more voters see Trump the better,\u201d Marsh told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe more people are reminded of who Trump is and what he will do to the country if he returns to the [White House], the more that helps Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVoters have seen far more of Biden than Trump the last four years as most of them don\u2019t attend Trump rallies or watch them,\u201d she said. \u201cTo see Trump onstage with Biden will remind them of what they have forgotten about him, bring back memories of the first 2020 debate where Trump talked over Biden and that hurt him with swing voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To that end, the Biden and Trump campaigns reached a debate agreement with CNN without the\u00a0Commission on Presidential Debates, the\u00a0first such arrangement since 1988. The agreement includes a 90-minute debate behind two standing podiums with two commercial breaks, during which the candidates cannot confer with their staff, and without prewritten notes. The men\u2019s microphones will also be muted unless they are speaking to minimize interruptions, and Trump will have the last word.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe question is, can he stay rational and presidential, or will he go script off? He\u2019s a very volatile guy and has shown an inability in the past to stick to the script,\u201d Harpootlian, the South Carolina senator, said of Trump. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be an elevated discussion. If it degenerates into spitballs, that ain\u2019t going to be good for either one of them. But I would suggest that Trump has more of a track record of degenerating into and descending into a shouting match.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow Trump performs when challenged or fact-checked by the moderators or Biden will determine the outcome for him,\u201d Marsh, the strategist, agreed. \u201cIf Trump sticks to his usual rally fare and talking points, then it hurts him as he\u2019s missing the opportunity to address undecided voters and only appealing to people who already support him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Expected debate topics include the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>economy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>abortion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>immigration<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Israel<\/a>\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hamas<\/a> war, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ukraine<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Supreme Court<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/january-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jan. 6, 2021, riot<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/us-capitol\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>U.S. Capitol<\/a>, and the criminal trials of Trump and Biden\u2019s son <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hunter-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hunter<\/a>, all opportunities for the candidates to criticize their opponent as they attempt to turn the debate into a referendum on them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe lack of an in-person audience is just so unique. We haven\u2019t had that since the Kennedy-Nixon 1960 [debate],\u201d Kall, the debate coach, said of former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. \u201cThe candidates have less of an incentive, I think, to be aggressive, and interrupt, and have some canned zingers, and things like that, because those more traditional debate tactics don\u2019t work as well, aren\u2019t as effective with the lack of a live audience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The stakes for this debate are so high that the expectations game, while fun, is meaningless, according to Republican strategist Doug Heye. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is more downside than upside for both candidates and pre-spinning things will not matter if things go wrong,\u201d the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican National Committee<\/a> spokesman told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden and ex-President Donald Trump will clash in Atlanta&#8217;s first presidential debate, scrutinized by the Washington Examiner. Both face low expectations and skepticism about their past actions and character, in a debate that might reshape the 2024 election landscape<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2282456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23245744695764.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3620,7886,3896,18255],"class_list":["post-2282455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden","tag-command","tag-debate","tag-faculties"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23245744695764.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2282455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2282456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2282455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2282455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2282455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}