[guest post by Dana]

We now know that President Biden and Donald Trump have agreed to participate in two debates. The first will take place on June 27, with CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper moderating the event. Surprisingly, the debate will take place without an audience in attendance. I don’t see this as being the best steup for Trump. He thrives on bullshit, and he thrives on bullshitting an audience. As for President Biden, he can easily lose his train of thought, so we’ll see what happens. But I suspect this will be more to Trump’s disadvantage. You can read CNN’s qualifying requirements here.

Here’s how the contenders responded to the debate invitation:

“It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site. “Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th.”

“Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation,” Biden wrote on X. “I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.”

Two rich, old white guys with memory issues trying to best each other might be entertaining if the stakes weren’t so high. But fighting for the presidency isn’t a laughing matter, despite what Mitt Romney said about the old coots:

With that, here’s a sound observation:

The swiftness with which the matchups came together reflects how each of the two unpopular candidates thinks he can get the better of his opponent in a head-to-head showdown. Trump and his team are convinced the debates will exacerbate voters’ concerns about Biden’s age and competence, while Biden’s team believes Trump’s often-incendiary rhetoric will remind voters of why they voted him out of the White House four years ago.

It sure didn’t take long for RNC co-chair Lara Trump to complain that the debate is rigged against Trump:

It’s rigged so heavily in Joe Biden’s favor, but everything always is! You’ve got Hollywood against Donald Trump. You’ve got the music industry against Donald Trump. Mainstream media. Despite that and even the judicial system at this point, he is beating Joe Biden in every poll out there. It’s amazing to see. So, if Joe Biden shows up on June 27th and doesn’t come up with an excuse like he has to wash his hair or something, I have full confidence that Donald Trump will outperform him.

What’s funny is, it’s Lara Trump who has provided an excuse for Trump to either bomb or back out. If he bombs, it was a rigged debate! If he backs out, it was a rigged debate!

So. I think if anyone is going to be washing their hair on the 27th, it’s not going to be the guy who hardly has any left.

P.S.

I’m happy to report that I will meet the criteria to participate in the @CNN debate before the June 20 deadline. I look forward to holding Presidents Biden and Trump accountable for their records in Atlanta on June 27 to give Americans the debate they deserve. #KennedyShanahan24

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 15, 2024

–Dana