Trump May Propose New Firm to Host Presidential Debates

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s campaign is considering only participating in general election debates if an outside firm serves as the host, and his advisers recently sat down with the nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates to complain about the debates it hosted in 2016.

The Dec. 19 meeting between Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., a prominent Republican and co-chairman of the commission, Brad Parscale, the campaign manager for Mr. Trump’s re-election effort, and another political adviser, Michael Glassner, came soon after Mr. Trump posted on Twitter that the 2016 debates had been “biased.”

Mr. Fahrenkopf said the meeting was cordial, but that Mr. Parscale essentially reiterated Mr. Trump’s complaints.

Mr. Parscale said “that the president wanted to debate, but they had concerns about whether or not to do it with the commission,” Mr. Fahrenkopf said, including worries about “whether or not the commission would be fair.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/us/politics/trump-presidential-debate.html

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Ass*ole needs to make a buck,

[iluvtennis]

22. My thought exactly...you beat me to it. F him and his campaign team. the nerver. nt

[hamsterjill]

2. So, he wants to have it at Mar-A-Lago?

n/t

[sarcasmo]

3. Breitbart

[cp]

4. Continuing the Corruption

[Kaiserguy]

5. So what Trump wants

is to hand pick whoever runs it to make sure that they fluff for Trump. So what is the name of the Russian firm he want to use.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. He should pick Fraud Guaranteed.

Suits him perfectly.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

7. If he gets his way or even influences the Commission on Presidential Debates to make changes that

Are advantageous to him, the Democratic Party should not participate in any way, even if it means no debates.

[Rebl2]

16. No way they

should participate in this.

[sdfernando]

8. that orange blob will not debate

I've been telling friends for a long time that he will not debate...now he is trying to make an excuse.

[Chakaconcarne]

11. Yep.... There's no way he'll debate.....

[rurallib]

14. he knows he get clobbered plus

most if not all of his illegal shit will be brought up.

This way he can claim he wanted to debate, but the Dem backed out.
He is so predictable.

[Skinner]

9. They want to have the option not to participate, and use "unfair format" as their excuse.

They're not going to make an agreement any time soon. They want to drag this out as long as possible so they have a ready excuse if they decide to bail at the last minute.

[keithbvadu2]

10. Clint Eastwood can bring an empty chair.

Clint Eastwood can bring an empty chair.

[Kaiserguy]

13. And Trump

can bring his empty head

[reACTIONary]

19. +10 nt

[eggplant]

12. There is zero upside for Trump to do a debate in *any* format.

The only possible positive would be to rally his voters, and he'd do much better with an actual rally where his opponent isn't in attendance.

Weirdly, I'm starting to think the same is true for the Dems. Our goal will also to be GOTV. Will we do better at that if Clownface is on the stage? Town halls could work better for us.

[not fooled]

21. ++++++++++

red don whining so that he has an excuse to not debate his opponent.

[djacq]

15. Lie, Cheat, Steal;

The Republican Way.

[left-of-center2012]

17. Maybe he wants Hannity to ask the questions?

By the way, the article is behind a 'pay wall' and I could not read it.

[Evolve Dammit]

18. Limbaughs' EIB or Hannity's Fox? or an LLC set up by the merger??

[keithbvadu2]

20. Donald skipped one debate during the republican primaries but could not stand being out of the limel

Donald skipped one debate during the republican primaries but could not stand being out of the limelight.

He trotted right back for the next debate.

[Codeine]

23. All theater. Idiot Boy has no intention of debating

regardless of moderator or venue. He’s just trying to build up a backstop of excuses in advance.

[LiberalLovinLug]

25. This is what I think too

He didn't do well last time. And this was against Hillary who lets face it is not the most comfortable on stage. I'm sure she wishes she could have a do over, and she'd be much harder on him I'm sure. She'd tell him to back off, like she wanted to when he was prowling behind her. She still made him look like an idiot.
Anyways, Trump does NOT want to go through that kind of bare exposure again, one on one with ANY of the top candidates. I think he'd fear Warren the most. His nightmare over again, another smart woman.

I think this will go down as the first Presidential elections since debates were begun, that have all been cancelled, because Trump will refuse to participate based on some whiny excuse about bias. Instead he'll just hold more rallies, all aired on Fox News with highlights on the rest of the MSM every night. Maybe set up a "debate" at Mar-a-Lago, and Fox News will host it. Between Republicans only. But they won't be debating each other so much as harping on Democrats and bragging about the Dear Leader, while Trump sits and smiles on some gold encrusted throne.

[machoneman]

28. I'd debate your statement..........

"He didn't do well last time. And this was against Hillary who lets face it is not the most comfortable on stage."

While I do think she could have done even better if he wasn't lurking in her background, she still came off quite well in comparison. But, after that marathon 11+ hour grilling in the Capitol's chambers by vengeful Republiscums, she totally destroyed them in so, so many ways.

In fact, being comfortable in the face of many inane questions thrown at her, she showed her experience, depth of knowledge and high level if intelligence in parrying all the accusations thrown at her. The media fully agreed that her performance was exceptional.

[LiberalLovinLug]

34. I agree she did tremendous there.

And its pathetic that Trump in comparison would NEVER submit himself to anything like that. Not even at his own trial with the Jury already aquitting him in advance.

That was where she was not creating the narritive, she was not there to promote herself. Only to defend herself. Promotion of oneself on stage in front of an audience and in front of millions more watching, was not her forte. Its not a criticism, only an observation. And I'm not the only person from our side to say that. She is a brilliant smart leader, but more of a technocrat than a showperson. She is brilliant in her job once elected, its all the crap a politician has to do to get there that she doesn't, or didn't, like. And I don't fucking blame her!

The juxtaposition of someone even slightly uncomfortable on stage promoting themselves, and someone who thrives on self promotion and is at their best and most confident on stage, was noticeable. I brought up that lurking incident because she said later, after the election, that she really really really wanted to just turn around and tell him to back off. But she didn't. That is the point. That at the time, on stage, she suppressed her natural responses that most every Democrat watching was begging her to do. A showperson candidate would have welcomed that invasion of space in order to use it against them. It just was not in her nature. Which is a trait you may admire in your neighbour, but not necessarily from the one hope in the nation to stop Trump.

She still should have 'officially' won the election. A great stage presence is only one of the attributes that make a great President or any leader. And she had plenty more. But it does help.

[StevieM]

24. He got his assed kicked in all three debates last time.

I guess he is worried it will happen again.

[BlueIdaho]

26. No way is Fatso doing any Presidential Debates.

He has everything to lose and nothing to gain.

[pwb]

27. Trump can debate himself.

And have one hell of a argument.

[not_the_one]

30. hey turd boy...

Go ahead, have your one man debate on Fox.

See if we care.

[louis-t]

31. Oh, so there will only be one camera and it will be fixed on

him the whole time, and his opponent's mic will be cut off, and he'll have special lighting to make sure he doesn't look too orange, and there will be an applause track every time he says something brilliant, and he will have all of the questions in advance....

fuck him

[NBachers]

35. Don't forget the "Emerging Through the Glowing Gates of Heaven" grand entry.

[Maxheader]

32. Har de har har...

Hire all the "firms" you want dick head....Won't make any difference, know why stumpy?

Can't fix stupid....

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

33. So, he wants a profit-making firm rather than a nonprofit organization?

I predicted last year that he wouldn't debate. It seems to be coming true.

[struggle4progress]

36. "The Trump National Doral would be the perfect impartial venue!"