Biden Challenges Trump to a Debate, Trump Accepts, Advantage Whom?

“Make my day” said Biden to Trump in a Tweet, challenging Trump to a debate. Two debates are set. Trump seeks two more. What just happened? Think about that. I propose an answer below.

Make My Day, Pal

Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate.

Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again.

Well, make my day, pal.

OK Said Trump

The Wall Street Journal reports Biden and Trump Agree to Debates in June and September

President Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debates in June and September, hosted by CNN and ABC respectively, bypassing the commission that typically has overseen the events and scheduling them earlier than in past general elections.

CNN said Wednesday that its debate would take place June 27 in its Atlanta studios without an audience. The moderator and other details will be announced later, the network said. Trump and Biden both said they had also agreed to a debate hosted by ABC on Sept. 10.

The announcements came after Biden proposed two debates with Trump in June and September. Trump accepted, while also seeking two additional debates, in July and August.

The scheduling of the debates resulted from a public back-and-forth Wednesday morning between the two candidates’ camps. Biden proposed two debates in a video and his campaign sent a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, saying he wouldn’t participate in their proposed fall contests and calling for the campaigns to instead coordinate directly with networks.

“I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” he said on his social-media platform.

Format Advantage

One of my friends complained about the no audience format and muting of microphones when the other is speaking. He also complained about the lack of an audience.

But who gains here?

It’s technically equal. But I like the format.

Trump likes to play the audience and interrupt. Biden wants to stop the interruptions. But Trump is often his own worst enemy when he interrupts. It doesn’t look presidential.

Instead of playing the audience, he will do well to focus on what he needs to say to win over more independents, suburban women, and young voters.

What Just Happened?

Biden is so far behind in the swing state polls, that he needs to win these debate. If Biden was far ahead, it’s highly doubtful that he would go on stage for more than a short debate, and one as late as possible.

Trump cannot turn it down, so he upped the ante to four.

Winning two out of two for Biden will be hard enough. But if Biden flunks the first two he will want more.

Fresh Alarm Bells

The Hill reports Polling Sets Off Fresh Alarm Bells for Biden

A fresh poll from The New York Times brought more bad news for President Biden as he struggles to catch up to former President Trump in the key battleground states that will decide November’s election.

The poll found Trump leading in five out of six swing states, with Wisconsin the lone place where Biden is ahead. More concerning for Biden is that the poll found the president is losing support among young voters and Black and Hispanic voters, all of whom are critical to his coalition to win reelection.

CNN’s Harry Enten, who specializes in polling data, said Monday that The New York Times numbers out of the Sun Belt states of Nevada and Arizona were “an absolute disaster.”

The numbers out of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were more workable for the Biden campaign, Enten said, signaling that a sweep of the Great Lakes states and the traditional “blue wall” is Biden’s likeliest path to victory.

“It’s advantage Donald Trump, but he’s not over the 270 mark just yet,” Enten said.

“What’s so impressive about this is polls have historically underestimated Trump’s support, not overestimated Trump’s support,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, who noted Trump was at 49 percent or 50 percent support in four of the states where he’s leading.

“And then if you couple this poll with nearly 100,000 people showing up in Arctic blue New Jersey, this is a disaster for Biden,” he added, referring to a rally Trump held in Wildwood, N.J., over the weekend.

I will go over the latest polls shortly. But it’s reasonably clear the challenge to Trump stems from those polls.

Lumber Tariffs

What About Mattresses?

That’s a good question. For the answer, please see Having Trouble Sleeping? Can You Afford a New Mattress?

Protectionists want 745% tariffs on mattresses. Prepare to pay much more despite having the highest prices in the world already.

Biden Lectures Trump

The following Tweet is from June 11, 2019.

The Above Tweet was from June 11, 2019.

Biden is Making it Hard on Himself

Yesterday, I commented Joe Biden vs Joe Biden on Tariffs, a Green Trade War Is Underway

Joe Biden’s changing story of tariffs would be funny if it was not so damaging. The president announced huge new tariffs today.

Also see Biden Wants EVs so Badly That He Will Quadruple Tariffs on Them

Astute readers will immediately notice the title of this post makes no sense. It’s not supposed to. But it is exactly what President Biden is doing.

A big green trade war has started. The result will be higher prices for cars, solar panels, even lumber, and housing.

It Trump was clueless, what does that make Biden who took Trump’s policies and escalated them?

People Who Rent Will Decide the 2024 Presidential Election

Image courtesy of Axios + Generation Lab Youth Poll

Immigration won’t decide the election. Polls have not yet captured what will. This may come as a surprise, but the top issue housing. More explicitly, it’s shelter costs.

For discussion, please see People Who Rent Will Decide the 2024 Presidential Election

Young voters and blacks abandoning Biden is what will decide the election. Their big issue is inflation, particularly rent and the price of new houses.

What Just Happened Short Version

Desperation set in.