(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Trump Debate Strategy? Attack The Moderators. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-18 Allow me to restate that. Is the Biden campaign prepared for the debate scenario where Trump attempts to perform his own “New Hampshire (microphone) Moment” on national TV? [Full disclosure: I never thought a Biden-Trump debate was a good idea, but we are where we are.] x YouTube Video Based on what I just listened to on MSNBC’s Deadline Whitehouse, by guest Amanda Carpenter, former Republican staffer, now NeverTrumper, writer and editor of Protect Democracy, who argues that Trump — with nothing to lose, and everything on the line — over his years doing “The Apprentice”, has developed reality TV chops and will likely attempt to exploit those ‘chops’ given the opportunity in front of a national audience. Very likely his biggest since leaving office. x YouTube Video As experts of the genre note, what makes successful reality TV is: “confidence, authenticity, and the ability to narrate one’s own story compellingly​ (New York Reality TV School)​​(RealityWanted)​.” Imagine, if you will, the scenario where Trump has confrontation in mind and begins to berate the CNN debate moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash who, according to the stated debate rules, will be able to cut microphones. And in true reality TV fashion, Trump starts to break the stated ‘rules’ immediately, forcing the moderators to engage those rules or be made to appear to admit that, see? ‘the rules don’t matter’. Trump uses this as justification to ignore any further questions and begins to attack the moderators during his time. Biden, gentleman and statesman that he is, may attempt to intervene. Trump, by this point probably gesticulating at both the moderators and Biden, talks over all of them, conflating the press, in the form of the CNN moderators, with President Biden and presenting them to the viewing public as ‘proof’ he, Donald Trump, is facing a ‘common enemy’, “the Enemy of the people”, Trump will say, in collusion to ‘take this country down’. If not those exact words, then something like them, made in a ginned up confrontation in front of CNN television cameras and out to the world. One of two things will be happening at this point. Either the microphones will still be on (for whatever reason), and the world will get the audio as well as video of this reality TV moment, or they will be cut off, and the world will be treated to the reality of a news network essentially pulling the plug on a presidential debate. Without discussing the virtues or vices of ending the debate prematurely, but for entirely valid reasons, it won’t be a good look for anyone but Trump. Why? Because unless the Biden campaign and CNN are ready for this scenario with an equally compelling response, Trump will be having his own Microphone Moment, as Reagan did in 1980, changing the trajectory of the Republican nomination that year, showing a flash of anger, stage confidence, and authenticity, while ‘the media elites in collusion with’ the president of the United States presume to tell the American audience what they can and can’t watch and hear from the GOP nominee-in-waiting. Donald Trump, who truly believes he is ahead in the race for the presidency, has no incentive to behave. Because to behave would be to admit he has something to lose. And if he’s already leading Biden (in his mind) with 34 felony convictions, why not push his advantage and show up the ‘old man’ and the entire ‘corrupt system’ in front of a world audience? I don’t know how that ends well, even with the best of intentions to protect American democracy. Of course, we don’t know that it will go down like this. Or that, even if he wants it, Trump will be able to execute such a plan successfully in front of the cameras. But this scenario, or something like it, is not an unreasonable thing to contemplate happening, given the existential incentives for all parties involved. What say you? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/18/2247374/-Trump-Debate-Strategy-Attack-The-Moderators?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/