It’s doubtful that Biden needs any more advice ahead of tonight’s debate.
He’s been holed up at Camp David for days, rehearsing prepared lines and talking debate strategy with some of the most seasoned political strategists in the business.
Just in case he’s not fully satisfied with what he’s heard so far — or if he’s still in the market for some well-intentioned guidance — we’ve compiled a few thoughts from Democratic operatives and former officials who’ve been involved in presidential debates going back decades.
James Carville, mastermind of Bill Clinton’s 1992 White House victory
“There are certain rules that they [candidates] always forget. The camera is always f—— on you. Don’t grimace. Don’t wince. Don’t shake your head.”
Biden and Trump will have a blank pad and a pen at the lecterns. Forget about frantically scribbling notes. “Just write down: ‘Keep your cool. Keep your cool. Keep your cool.’”
Biden’s age and fitness will inevitably come up at some point during the debate. What should Biden say in reply? “‘It’s no doubt that I’ll be 82. By the way, I want to wish my opponent happy birthday. He recently made 78!’”
Philippe Reines, who played the part of Trump during Hillary Clinton’s debate rehearsals in 2016:
If Trump insults Biden, the president shouldn’t hesitate to fire back.
“Any moment he [Biden] is showing spunk in him is a good moment.”
“Trump will be singlehandedly responsible for bringing the life in Joe Biden that certainly Democrats want to see and, beyond that, people are dying to see.”
How should Biden field questions about his acumen? He could tell Trump: “Neither of us would probably do well on ‘Jeopardy.’”
Biden should invoke the cognition test that Trump claims to have “aced,” in this fashion: “Why not take an immigration test? You wouldn’t get half as many answer right as the people you’re trying to keep out!”
Jennifer Palmieri, senior adviser in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign:
If Trump stays disciplined and doesn’t try to repeatedly interrupt, Biden should seize the chance to drive home his core message.
Biden should “forcefully make clear to people the threat that he [Trump] is.”
Biden can argue that Trump “owns every abortion ban in the country,” and that Trump, “by not accepting the results of the 2020 election and not accepting the result of a fair trial in New York, is a fundamental threat to democracy.”
Dan Quayle, former Republican vice president under George H.W. Bush:
Quayle said the stakes in the debate are higher for Biden than for Trump. If Biden flubs the debate, that could potentially spawn a movement to replace him on the ticket, he said.
“If he [Biden] has a bad night, a lot of my Democrat friends will be silently thankful for that, because they’ll see a real opportunity for Joe to step aside. Quite frankly, if you put up a sensible Democrat, a fresh new face, Trump has real challenges in my view.”
Jim Messina, Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign manager:
Messina’s hope is that during debate prep, Biden’s advisers had him watch his own State of the Union speech in March. Biden received largely strong reviews for an energetic performance.
“I’m not a big believer in making candidates be something they’re not. I just want him to be Joe Biden and the best I’ve seen him is in that speech.”
