Trump aides fear he's 'walking into a trap' — and 'should never have agreed to debate': report
Some of President Joe Biden's supporters have been arguing that he never should have agreed to debate presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, but other Biden supporters don't see it that way at all — stressing that Trump would have attacked Biden as weak had he not agreed to a debate. Moreover, they add, Biden has repeatedly demonstrated over the years that he can be a tough, forceful debater.
Meanwhile, far-right "War Room" host Steve Bannon, according to Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman, is saying that Trump, not Biden, is the one who has the most to lose during the Thursday night, June 27 debate — which is being moderating by CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta.
"According to two sources," Sherman reports, "Steve Bannon has told people Trump should never have agreed to debate. One of the sources told me Bannon explained that if Biden bombs the debate, Democrats will find a way to replace Biden on the ticket — a scenario (Trump senior adviser Jason) Miller shot down — and if Biden performs well, the race becomes even closer. Bannon declined to comment."
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Miller, however, did comment on the June 27 debate, claiming that the format will be unfair to Trump.
Miller told Vanity Fair, "It's a three-on-one dynamic with Biden, Tapper and Bash. The structure makes it impossible for President Trump to get a fair shake."
After spending months falsely claiming that Biden is senile, Trump's supporters have come up with a new line of attack to explain his aggressive speeches on the campaign trail and during the 2024 State of the Union address: claiming that the 81-year-old president is using some type of drug to make himself appear more energetic — a claim there is zero evidence to support.
"A strong showing by Biden will neutralize Trump's claims about his opponent's cognitive decline," Sherman explains. "The Trump campaign knows this."
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Sherman continues, "That's why, in recent days, Trump and his aides have been working overtime to mitigate the damage should Biden deliver a commanding performance similar to his fiery State of the Union address…. Trump wants to keep up the attacks on Biden's age while also explaining away a potentially strong performance from Biden. Some in Trumpworld are worried Trump is walking into a trap."
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Read Gabriel Sherman's full Vanity Fair article at this link.
