Hillary Clinton complained in a guest essay for the New York Times on Tuesday that debating former President Trump is “impossible” as she advised President Biden on how to approach the big day.
“I know the excruciating pressure of walking onto that stage and that it is nearly impossible to focus on substance when Mr. Trump is involved,” Clinton wrote. “It is a waste of time to try to refute Mr. Trump’s arguments like in a normal debate. It’s nearly impossible to identify what his arguments even are.”
President Biden is set to debate Trump during the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday in the first in-person face-off between the two candidates since their debates in 2020. Clinton recounted the 2016 town hall debate where Trump at times walked near her as she spoke.
“He interrupts and bullies — even stalking me around the stage at one point — because he wants to appear dominant and throw his opponent off balance,” Clinton said.
Hillary Clinton speaks during the “A Special Evening With Hillary Clinton” at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival at Theater des Westens on February 19, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. ((Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images))
Clinton argued Trump’s strategies would fall flat if Biden is “direct and forceful,” adding that the president had “facts and truth on his side.”
She lamented that Biden had a disadvantage in preparing for the debate as an incumbent president, suggesting he didn’t have adequate time given his other duties. Biden has been preparing for the debate over the past week with his advisers at Camp David.
The CNN debate won’t have a live audience and candidates won’t be allowed to speak to their campaign aides during commercial breaks. Trump and Biden aren’t allowed to bring props or notes, and their mics will be muted outside their speaking times. The debate is historically early in the general election cycle, happening before the two men are officially nominated by their respective parties.
Clinton, who narrowly lost to Trump in 2016, suggested viewers pay attention to how Biden and Trump talk about people, focus on the fundamentals and what’s at stake in this election, and “think about the real choice.”
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President Biden, left, and former President Donald Trump, right. (Getty Images)
“It’s between chaos and competence,” Clinton wrote, pointing to Trump’s felony convictions.
Clinton also suggested that whatever happens during the debate won’t matter, because of the contrast between the two candidates.
“This election is between a convicted criminal out for revenge and a president who delivers results for the American people. No matter what happens in the debate, that’s an easy choice,” she said.
The CNN Presidential Debate Simulcast on Fox News will air Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET.
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Clinton has been frustrated by voters who truggle to choose between Trump and Biden.
“We have two old candidates,” she told MSNBC in May. “One is, yes, old and effective, has passed legislation that I think is going to put America on such a strong footing for the future, is compassionate, cares about people, tries hard to make the right decision, and they are complicated. The other is old and dangerous. I mean, why is that a hard choice for people?”
