President Biden has challenged former President Donald Trump to not one, but TWO presidential debates in the most cringe-worthy way possible. Not only does Biden want to circumvent the Commission on Presidential Debates, which would have suggested 3 debates, but he wants to hold the first one much earlier than usual — BEFORE the Democratic National Convention. Glenn has a theory as to why this is: Is he giving the Democratic Party enough time to REPLACE him if his polls keep dropping? Glenn, Pat, and Stu also review some of Biden’s ridiculous rule proposals and Trump’s quick response to the proposed debates on CNN and ABC.
TranscriptBelow is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: So let's talk about the debates, just a bit, can we?
STU: Yeah. This is a pretty wild morning today. As they were basically starting with Joe Biden. Releasing a 13-second video, in which he attempted to challenge. I mean, this is the way they were promoting it.
GLENN: Wait. Wait. Wait. Thirteen seconds. And you're saying, he attempted to do something? It was 13 seconds.
STU: Yes. Well, 13 seconds. You would think that would be easy, but he had five jump cuts in the 13 seconds. He could not get the thing.
PAT: Unreal.
GLENN: Oh, my gosh. Do we have it?
STU: We do have the video here. This is Joe Biden coming from earlier today.
VOICE: Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hadn't shown up for a debate. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I'll even do it twice. So let's pick the dates, Donald. I hear you're free Wednesdays.
STU: Get it?
PAT: Yeah. Because a trial going on.
GLENN: What a jerk. When did the presidential debates become MMA?
STU: Well, I don't know. It's a good point. Both, at least MMA fighters look like they could walk to the stage. You know, watching Biden there, it's so bad to see the visuals, Glenn. And I know you don't have eyeballs at the moment. It's a disgrace. It looks like he is about to fall over. He can't get through these sentences. You could tell, he's done these multiple times. They're coming together, the best ones. It looks really bad.
GLENN: How do you know -- I mean this sincerely. Let me give him the benefit of the doubt. How do you know this isn't jump cuts because that's what social media does that makes it cool and viral?
STU: In theory, that would mean he got through this all at once. But you can see him starting, it's not very well-edited, let's put it that way. You can see him starting -- I don't know how to describe this to a non-TV production audience. But you can see it. If you look closely, you could see it.
GLENN: How is that possible, when you have Steven Spielberg now on the payroll, trying to -- trying to make him look good?
STU: They're definitely trying to simulate the typical TikTok thing, which they claim they want to ban, but continue to post on. That's a whole different situation.
But, I mean, it's being presented by the media as, wow. Joe Biden challenges Donald Trump, to two debates.
This is not what is happening at all. We, of course, have a presidential commission for debates, set up. That has been set up. And has been going on for a very long time.
They are planning on having three debates. So Joe Biden is challenging, quote, unquote, Donald Trump. Instead of three debates, two debates. And two debates outside of the commission.
Which he would be, I think, the first candidate since the commission was founded in 1987. To avoid the commission. He wants out of it.
GLENN: And he wants them in the summer, right?
STU: So he wants -- the first -- this long story, as we've been doing the show today, all of this has developed. But basically, you know, Biden posted this horrible video.
Trump immediately. He's like, yeah. Sure. I've been saying I want to do this the whole time. Fine. Let's do it.
In fact, I would like to do more of them. You're easy to win against was basically his response. Then Biden said, okay. Well, where are the dates?
How come you won't agree? Which, of course, Trump had already agreed. Then Biden said, hey. I just talked to CNN.
They want to do one. Which seemed like odd --
GLENN: Wow. That was --
STU: Oddly quick.
GLENN: Yes.
That's crazy.
STU: But I should also point out that Biden had a bunch of qualifiers here. One of his qualifiers here for this debate, he wanted to do it outside of this format because they make the rules.
The commission makes the rules. Biden wants to make the rules instead. One of the rules he wants is no audience. He wants it to be in a quiet room, so that I guess people can't cheer Donald Trump.
GLENN: Well, hang on just a second.
Let's, again, give him the benefit of the tout. Everywhere he speaks, there's no one in the room. He's on the campaign trail, there's nobody there.
STU: That's a fair point.
So it seemed like Biden's campaign, and this is going to sound shocking. But Biden's campaign and CNN may have had something arranged beforehand.
GLENN: No. No. No. That's so cynical.
STU: Yeah, it's so weird that they had a date and everything all set up five minutes later. But then long story short, back and forth, back and forth, Trump apparently agreed to this very quickly.
And they have now announced the date of the debate. Which get this, June 27th.
June 27th, which is in 43 days from today.
GLENN: You know why this is happening?
STU: I don't.
GLENN: A, you do it in the fall, it will be Michelle Obama.
And, B, the most important is it will be so far in the past.
STU: I think that's what it is.
GLENN: You don't want to have a bad impression of a debate, in -- you know, October. Or September.
You don't want to have that.
STU: Right.
GLENN: Everybody will forget this.
STU: This is old news. If you do one in June. It goes badly.
Of course, you can always bail on the second one, if the first one goes badly. The second one is supposedly scheduled or loosely scheduled for September. No date on that one yet, or where it's going to be. But Biden is saying he wants to have it on -- he's only allowing four networks to be considered. Which I think is CNN, ABC, CBS, and Univision, maybe.
GLENN: Of course.
PAT: All friendly to Biden and his agenda.
STU: He wants Donald Trump's mic cut off when he's speaking is reportedly one of the things. We don't have the full list, quite yet.
But think about the timing of this. Normally, these things happen in like October, you know. This one is in June, and it is multiple weeks before either of the conventions. The first -- the Republican convention happens on July -- the week of July 15th.
And this debate is happening June 27th. The Democratic Convention does not happen until the week of August 19th.
So way before the debates. Honestly, could easily be before Donald Trump even picks the vice presidential candidate. This debate could happen.
GLENN: Well, I mean, again, Joe has to get it in.
Before Michelle Obama steps.
STU: You're sticking to that one, huh?
You already --
GLENN: Not as much as I was.