The debate between the Zombie and the Trumpster will begin at 8:00 PM tonight and I will be live-blogging it. Since lawfare has failed, Trump’s enemies are now hoping a rigged debate will do the trick of banishing Orange Man Bad. They should live so long. No one is neutral on Trump, and everyone knows him, and I expect few people will have their votes changed by what he says. I am more interested in how Biden appears. At the State of the Union he was like a race horse on illegal drugs: manic at the beginning of the race and crashing at the end. The mad doctors of this administration have a harder task this time, since the animated corpse will not be reading off a teleprompter. I rate a last minute cancellation by his puppeteers to be at least a twenty percent possibility. At any rate this is a spectacle not to be missed. After the debate, if I were Trump, I would announce a debate with Kennedy, with an empty chair for Biden, giving a more eloquent performance than Biden is likely to give tonight.
7:35 PM. Internet is slow on political sites, doubtless reflecting people camping out for the debate to begin.
8;00 PM. Debate beginning.
8:04 PM. First question to Biden on inflation. Biden blames Trump. Biden has squinty eyes tonight and is speaking rapidly. Trump is relaxed and says his economy was great. Biden denies that Trump had a great economy. Biden sounds very hoarse. Biden throws in Herbert Hoover. Democrats, give that poor man a rest!
8:08 PM. Trump defends his position on tariffs and defends his economic record. Defends his Afghanistan policy and attacks Biden’s cut and run.
8:10 PM Trump defends his tax cuts as a spur to the economy. Launches a general attack on Biden’s records. America has become a third world nation.
8:12 PM Biden calls for soak the rich on taxes. Biden gets confused on his answer.
8:13 PM Trump accuses Biden of destroying Social Security and Medicare by bringing in millions of illegal aliens to be supported by the government.
8:14 PM Trump asked about abortion pills. Says he would not seek to block abortion pills. Says that the Supreme Court has returned the issue to the states. Believes in the Reagan exceptions on abortion. Accuses Democrats of being for abortion up to birth.
8:17 PM Biden waves the bloody fetus.
8:18 PM Trump talks about young women murdered by illegal aliens. (Amazingly Biden brought that up.)
8:19 PM Biden asked if he supports any restrictions. Biden says he will restore Roe. Trump accuses Biden of supporting abortion up to birth. Biden denies he is in favor of late term abortions. Trump is putting him on the defensive.
8:21 PM Biden asked about the illegal aliens. Biden gives a confused and tangled response. Trump points out how confused Biden’s answer is. Says that all Biden had to do was follow Trump’s policy on the border. Biden is getting weaker and more confused in his responses.
8:24 PM Trump asked about mass deportation. Launches an attack on illegal aliens killing citizens. Trump calm and strong. Attacks Biden on border.
8:27 PM Biden accuses Trump on lying. Mentions for the millionth time his son Beau serving in Iran. Accuses Trump of calling dead soldiers in France of liars and losers. Trump denies and attacks Biden for lies.
8:29 PM Trump asked about Ukraine. Claims that Putin would never have started the war if he had been in office. Refers to the debacle in Afghanistan as encouraging Putin to start his war. Says that Biden’s policy towards Iran encouraged Hamas to attack Israel. Putin’s terms are not acceptable to Trump. Blames Biden’s weakness for causing the war in Ukraine.
8:35 PM Biden asked about Hamas war. Biden stumps for his policy to end the war which is going no place slowly. Proclaims his support for Israel. Trump refers to the Ukraine War. Why aren’t the other NATO nations spending more. In regard to Israel he wants to let Israel finish the war. Accuses Biden of becoming a Palestinian. Biden accuses Trump of wanting to pull out of NATO.
8: 39 PM Trump returns to his theme that the NATO allies must pay more.
8:40 PM J6 question to Trump. Trump responds how much better the country was on J6. Trump denies that he betrayed his oath, and notes that Pelosi and the Mayor denied his offer of National Guard troops prior to J6. Biden accuses Trump of not stopping the J6 assault. Talks about Trump’s failed effort to prove fraud in the 2020 election. Trump talks about the J6 political prisoners. Attacks the J6 committee. Biden calls Trump a convicted felon and attacks the J6 defendants.
8:46 PM Notes that Hunter is a convicted felon and that Joe Biden could be a convicted felon after he leaves office. Biden attacks Trump as a criminal. Says that Trump has the morals of an alley cat. Trump calls out Biden for engaging in lawfare against him.
8:49 PM Biden refers to the other cases pending against Trump. Refers to Charlottesville. (Biden is stuck on his greatest hints.) Trump says that Biden is not equipped to be President and that Biden’s lie about Charlottesville has been debunked time and time again.
Intermission. Trump is strong and Biden is weak is my overall take of the first part.
8:56 PM Biden asked about the state of blacks in America. Biden defends his record. Trump blames inflation on Biden. with his spending. Illegal aliens are taking black and hispanic jobs. Biden defends his record again.
9:01 PM Climate hoax question to Trump. Trump talks about his policies to help blacks, and that Biden has lost the support of many blacks. Biden brags about his climate change policy. Attacks Trump for not believing in the climate change hoax. Trump attacks Biden for illegal aliens again.
9:06 PM Biden wants to raise taxes on the rich to preserve social security. Says Trump wants to do away with Social Security. Trump says that no one lies like Biden. Says Biden is destroying Social Security and Medicare with the millions of illegal aliens he has brought into the nation. Biden claims that illegal aliens help the economy.
9:11 PM-Child care question. Trump ignores the question and talks about his firing incompetents and claims that Biden does not. Biden is the worst president in the history of our country. Biden wants open borders. Biden says that Trump is the worst president. Cities Leftist historians. Biden says that Trump would increase taxes on middle class Americans.
9:16 PM Question on opioid crisis. Trump accuses Biden of being a Manchurian candidate paid by China and the largest deficit. Drugs can only be stopped with reestablishing control of our borders. Biden talks about machines to detect drugs. Trump attacks Biden on the border.
9:21 PM Biden asked the old man question. Says that Trump is only three years younger. Trump says he has taken two cognitive tests and he would like to see Biden take one. Now they are arguing about golf handicaps.
9:25 PM Trump condemns political violence. Wishes Biden had been a great President but he has been a disaster. Close to WW III. Biden says that Trump would bring us close to WWIII.
Trump says that he will accept the results of the election if the election is fair. Biden calls Trump a whiner.
Intermission. Trump is the most disciplined I have seen him in staying on message. Biden was all over the place.
9:35 PM Closing statements. Biden, we need a fairer tax system. Blames tax increases and inflation on Trump. Biden is getting tangled up in his statement. List of the wonderful things he will do, including lead points.
Trump, list of ills of the country caused by Biden. Living in Hell. Talks about the pro-Hamas mobs. No one respects Biden. Contrasts what he did with the mess Biden has made. We will make America great again.
Done. Trump won.
Well, if you insist ladies:
As a nurse, I will say with no joy that at a the SOTU Biden was clearly an “upper” drug induced short term mentally clear break from his dementia. Whike this can happen spontaneously at times, his angry didposition, his rapid change from screaming to whispering, his dilatred pupils, and his taunting ad libs are classic signs of intoxification caused by an “upper drug”.
Cornpop and I will be watching.
Talking points for Biden and the delivery of those talking points will be interesting to see.
On the other hand, Trump has a great opportunity to be calm and collected in this snake pit of CNN’s. If he can be reserved and cool hand Luke during this dog and pony show, he just might shake loose undecided voters and make gains.
Something inside me says that Trump will not be cool and collected. It’s hard to tame a wild bear.
Trump hopefully allows Joe Biden to speak without interrupting as this will cause him to fail faster.
“Give him enough rope to hang himself.”
At the dinner table at my retirement home, a guy said who could vote for a convicted criminal (referring to Trump, of course). I replied “I’d rather vote for a scoundrel who had his wits about him than a scoundrel who was mentally incapacitated”. And I said further, “had the trial been held where I used to live (rural NE PA), Trump would never have been found guilty.”
I’m torn on watching tonight. For as much entertainment as I’m sure the wheezing death gasps of a dying civilization will afford, I also have toilets around the house that need cleaning, and I’m not sure which activity will leave me feeling more like I need a shower afterwards.
Actually, I am sure.
For the record, Jeremy Bash has NOT been Dana Bash’s husband since they got divorced in 2007. Whether or not they remain “friends” or in contact with one another, I don’t know (they didn’t have any kids together).
I wasn’t intending to watch this debate because the 2020 Trump-Biden debates were rather painful to watch, between Biden’s incoherence and Trump’s rather, shall we say, aggressive style. It was like watching a family argument with a senile grandparent. I suspect a lot of people will watch this for the same reason they might would watch the Indy 500 or NASCAR — to see if someone crashes and burns.
Brian Kelly: Completely concur. After 18 years in medical services, pharmacy and lab, it was apparent to me that Biden has been in a cycling of up and down for years. This is almost certainly due to medication that has not yet found a properly balanced dosage cycle. My concern is that the after effects of a 90 minute strain on his systems combined with a probable attempt to bring him to equilibrium afterward, will cause a serious physical reaction. Of course, we know who will get the blame for causing the stress resulting in any problems.
I don’t plan to watch it. I’d like to say that I’ll catch any highlights later on, but truthfully I think everyone’s already prepared their post-debate opinions, so how am I going to know what the highlights are? There will be Biden looking confused and Trump shouting, because of course there will be, but if either of them melts down completely their side won’t admit it, and if either of them performs well their opponents will just show the shouting or confused video anyway.
Agreed, Pinky. It’s pure theater, and not very good at that. I’m glad our host will watch, so we don’t have to.
Maybe a good movie or opera DVD instead.
Why is the first debate taking place before the convention? And why is Trump so easily agreeing to what seem clearly the terms set by the Biden Administration/campaign?
Trump said he knew the Biden team was going to give him ridiculous conditions for the debate, expecting him to reject them. Then, when he did, they could turn to the press and say: “Trump reneged!”.
So, he just accepted whatever they offered and now Biden can’t back out.
Many posts the past few hours on Twitter saying that CNN has added more absurd rules, such as a one-minute (some say it’s two minutes) broadcast delay, which would facilitate editing of the “live” stream before it goes out. As one post noted, if this is true, I sure hope Trump will be ensuring someone makes an actual recording of the entire thing. Otherwise it will be largely a work of fiction. Sort of like most of the MSM’s “news” these days, come to think of it.
Why is the first debate taking place before the convention? And why is Trump so easily agreeing to what seem clearly the terms set by the Biden Administration/campaign?
Trump said he would debate Biden any time and under any conditions. Biden doubtless does not realize it, but I think the Democrats set it for today to give them time to swap out Biden if he has a “senior moment” or two tonight.
No, I don’t think the dems will swap out Biden. They would have done so already. It looks as though they are stuck with Biden.
15 minutes to go.
To the wobbling President of these seemingly united states;
John: 18:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
I do not wish for his demise.
I pray for his conversion.
I beg God to send us a miracle.
Save the Republic dear God.
Keep us in your protection and guide these United States with an instrument worthy of the office.
John 8:44
Typo .. excuse me in please.
I did watch the debate after all and I think the debate format actually worked to Trump’s advantage. The Dem talking heads are already saying this was a disaster for Biden. The odds of him being replaced at or before the Dem convention just went WAY up.
No shouting from Trump. He stayed on message. Biden spoke the usual lies. Incoherent several times. Trump even said,”I don’t understand what Joe said. I think he doesn’t knows what he said either.” Or words to that effect.
Trump when asked did say he would accept election results IF the election was fair and legit.
I wish Trump would have used some facts like how many millions of illegals have crossed the southern borders and mention that 20,000 male Chinese of military age are in the country. (Someone has surmised that 20k is a whole battalion. I don’t do army but if that’s true it is alarming)
Missed opportunity – When Iran was mentioned I wish Trump had brought up the plane full of millions of American greenbacks that landed in Tehran several months ago. Iran is arming Hezbollah and Hamas on the American taxpayers dollars. He could have added that OBama and Kerry sent a plane to Iran full of US currency when Barry was president. Also when Biden accused Trump of separating children from their parents on the border and putting them in cages Trump hsould have countered that it was OBama that did that.
Don’t think there will be another debate between the two. Even the Dems are chattering that Biden cannot win.