Trump Blew the First Debate

Josh Kraushaar: “It doesn’t take a savvy political analyst to conclude that Tuesday night’s debate was a disaster for President Trump. Trailing badly in the national polls and a critical mass of battlegrounds, his only goal should have been to convince the small number of undecided voters that they should reelect him—despite their deep reservations about his character and temperament.”

“The logical presidential playbook would be to tout his accomplishments: Brag about nominating three conservative justices to the Supreme Court. Remind voters that he succeeded in diminishing ISIS while taking out the head of Iran’s notorious Revolutionary Guard. Argue that the economy is slowly but surely getting back on track. Envision a future where a coronavirus vaccine finally restores some sense of normalcy to a psychologically battered country. And in between, throw some pointed jabs at Joe Biden for not speaking out against the ideological excesses of his party’s base.”

“Trump did little of that. Instead, he sounded downright unhinged at times, vitriolically lashing out against the former vice president and constantly speaking over his opponent.”