Biden Should Demand a Debate With Trump

Biden’s State of the Union message greatly encouraged Democrats, but how many non-Democrats witnessed his fiery performance? Piercing some anti-Biden information bubbles could help Biden. If he and his surrogates were to begin a campaign advocating a debate, some of these bubbles could be breached.

This campaign to have a debate would be centered on Trump’s narcissism. He cannot stand to be called weak or ignorant and would be even further enraged by hints that he is stupid and/or a coward. His intellect, though modest at best, would warn him that things could go very wrong in a debate. However, as a narcissist, he can convince himself that he could triumph in any debate. He could not tolerate being mocked or otherwise publicly maligned; thus, he would almost certainly take the bait. But even if he refused, Biden would benefit. 

Many Democrats would fear a repeat of Trump's previous shouting debate with Biden or Trump’s prowling around the stage like he did to annoy Hillary Clinton. But such antics could be avoided.  Each debater could be in a separate auditorium. These auditoriums would be connected through the Internet or closed circuit television with large screens in the auditoriums if an on-site audience was anticipated. A human monitor would control the TV image and sound, switching between the auditoriums at short intervals, such as every 3-5 minutes. Each debater could see and hear their opponent via small screens. 

The 2024 Donald Trump is much less coherent and exhibits considerable confusion compared to 2016. I have no expertise in medicine, but it is still clear that something more is happening to Trump than gradual memory loss. Opinion makers are beginning to raise questions as to what this might be. It may be derived from his tremendous stress from his vast and growing financial losses. Or it might be the stress of his perceived necessity to win the November election to dismiss charges that could send him to prison, possibly for the rest of his life. The combination of these stressors may be behind the peculiar things he says and his memory issues. However, the root of his mental state is not essential to know since his increasingly disturbed behavior is what might cause some people to decide not to vote for him.

In a fascist movement, the leader cannot be criticized without many of his followers turning on the critic. Such an attack will usually end the criticism. However, when the evidence for the criticism is apparent to a follower, and the potential for hidden action develops, such as not voting for the leader on a secret ballot, a follower can more easily break with the leader.

Trump has developed a fascist movement, and his followers are counting on his words to be accurate and beneficial to them. If they see their strong leader starting to deteriorate, they may lose faith in his powers. Independents may decide that he is unfit to lead as well.

Furthermore, right-wing bubbles have been very successful in labeling Biden a demented old man. A debate of the type described above would help counter that narrative. It could reach many people who have not been alert to or participated in news sources that report Biden’s true capabilities.

Given the looming fascism, should Trump be elected, the stakes are very high in the coming Presidential election. Getting more people out of their information bubbles is not easy. Yet, people who witness a debate are exposed to information unavailable in their bubbles. Many people could benefit from seeing Biden as himself rather than the made-up image promoted by the bubbles of the far right. Yet, those who witness Trump compared to Biden would be much more important. Some of them will pick up on Trump's mental aberrations through such a comparison. Some may even change if or how they vote.

I urge President Biden to begin a campaign for a debate. A debate or a series of two or three would likely be worth Biden’s time, effort, and expense. Even if no debate ever materializes, some additional votes would come  Biden’s way through the campaign for a debate

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