How Should Trump Behave At Tonight's First Presidential Debate With Biden?: Strategist Weighs In

3 months ago

On "Forbes Newsroom," political strategist Adam Goodman discussed former President Trump's behavior at tonight's presidential debate.

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Transcript

00:00I want to now move to Donald Trump, though, more specifically, and I want to try to see

00:06if you can get inside his head tonight of how he's going to show up on that stage.

00:10When he was in Philly over the weekend, he floated to the audience, should I be nasty

00:14to Joe Biden?

00:15The audience reacted positively to that.

00:18We haven't seen Donald Trump, though, on a debate stage.

00:21He refused to debate this primary season.

00:24But he's known for his vicious nicknames, Crooked Hillary, Little Marco, Low Energy

00:29Jeb.

00:30Do you think he is going to be nasty tonight?

00:34And would that benefit him at all?

00:36Or do you think he's going to take a more measured approach?

00:39Have no idea.

00:40I mean, what should he do and what he will do, right?

00:44What he should do, I think, is show maybe a more disciplined approach to a number of

00:50things, because that's that's a side of Donald Trump.

00:52I think that maybe is not well established.

00:54I think that would hold him in good stead.

00:57With that said, though, Brittany, got to be himself.

00:59I mean, the last piece of advice you would give either contender tonight, be yourself.

01:05Really do it the way you feel is natural and real to you, as opposed to having to answer

01:12question number 37 on the test, you know, accurately and well.

01:17It's not about that.

01:18Ultimately, it's does he look genuine?

01:21Do I believe what he is saying?

01:23Those are the markers that are going to determine winners and losers tonight.

01:26That is that is a marker that Donald Trump, who, by the way, nothing else, Brittany.

01:31He knows what it means to be on stage.

01:33He knows what it means to generate audience, to appeal to audience.

01:38That's all his days on The Apprentice and other things he's done have really taught

01:42him to appreciate that.

01:44I think he's going to keep that front and center in his mind as he performs.

01:48That's a really interesting point, because this is a historic moment in the sense of

01:52we had four years of Donald Trump's presidency.

01:55We're almost at the four year mark of a Biden presidency.

01:59So the American people understand their policies.

02:02They understand how these leaders govern.

02:05So do people care as much about the substance of their answers, how they're going to answer,

02:11opposed to, hey, both of them look mentally fit.

02:14Both of them have good jobs.

02:15I can see their personalities more.

02:18What matters most here tonight?

02:20I think the last comment you made matters more to the president.

02:24It matters more to Joe Biden that he looks together lucid and sharp for 90 minutes.

02:30It matters more to Donald Trump that he presses the case.

02:33He's the challenger, right?

02:34Generally, what challengers do in campaigns is they take on the status quo.

02:38The status quo is President Biden and the Democratic Party.

02:43And there's a lot to play with.

02:44In fact, there's very little.

02:46That's where the big advantage comes in.

02:48Going back to your question from before, Donald Trump should press the attack on are you better

02:53off today than you were four years ago.

02:55And across the board, from the economy and immigration to the existential threats abroad,

03:00you got to feel he's got all those advantages.

03:03What Joe Biden's got to do, the president, he's got to defend his record.

03:07He's got to defend the problems we're having on the southern border.

03:10He's got to defend the feeling of nervousness Americans feel about going paycheck to paycheck.

03:15He's got to defend that things are going to be OK and settled in all sorts of conflagrations

03:20around the world.

03:21The burden of proof is on the president tonight to give compelling and convincing answers

03:26to that.

03:27All Donald Trump has to do is raise the question.

How Should Trump Behave At Tonight's First Presidential Debate With Biden?: Strategist Weighs In

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