'Get down and fight with this guy': Former senator urges Biden to be 'junkyard dog' in debate

22 June 2024

Thursday's televised debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will likely be viewed by tens of millions of voters, and one former U.S. senator says Biden could reap major gains from the debate if he's willing to get in the trenches with his opponent.

During a Saturday segment on MSNBC, former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) said that the best way for Biden to be perceived as the clear winner on Thursday night is to be aggressive and go on the attack.

"Joe Biden has to come out like a junkyard dog," McCaskill said. "He has to be State of the Union but with more haymakers. He has to absolutely be willing to get down and fight with this guy in a way that shows people he's strong. What he says is not as important as how he says it."

According to McCaskill, Biden could reap a major advantage by simply showing spunk and speaking forcefully. She explained that because the former president has frequently attacked Biden over his perceived feebleness, Biden could surprise audiences by simply taking the gloves off and demonstrating that he can go toe-to-toe with his Republican rival.

"The Trump campaign has set up Joe Biden in a way that very few candidates get set up. They have tried to convince people for the last six months that he can't walk or talk," she said. "So when you do that for six months, when you edit clips to make it look like he's not where he thinks he should be, I mean they've gone way out of their way to make this man look incompetent."

Biden has been at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland to prepare for the debate with several key advisors. Meanwhile, Trump has reportedly been putting off debate prep for campaign fundraisers and rallies, including one in Philadelphia on Saturday evening. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), who was on Biden's debate prep team in 2012, has been working to prepare Biden for the type of low-brow insults Trump could be throwing his way Thursday night. McCaskill told MSNBC that Biden should do the same with Trump on the debate stage instead of opt for a more "presidential" approach.

"[Biden] doesn't respect Donald Trump. So I don't think he's going to be afraid to say, 'hey, shut up man' again, or maybe more. Like, 'do you ever quit lying?' I mean he's gotta do that," she continued. "He's got to leave the presidential, dignified Joe Biden at the door, and he's got to appear at that podium as scrappy Joe from Scranton that's willing to take on big guys that are not there for the little guys."

Thursday night's debate on CNN has several key rules that could help Biden more than Trump. There will be no live audience present, neither candidate is allowed to bring in notes or props, candidates are limited to two minutes per answer and one minute per rebuttal and a speaker's mic can be cut off if they go over time or interrupt the other. McCaskill said if Biden performs well, he can use his debate performance to build momentum that could last through November.

"Joe Biden has an opportunity here. He has an opportunity to clear the air about whether he's strong enough to be commander-in-chief for another four years," she said.

Watch McCaskill's segment below, or by clicking this link.

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