US Presidential Debate 2020: Thanks To Team Trump, Joe Biden Could Score A Big Win Just By Staying Awake

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is scheduled to take place Tuesday, September 29.
The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is scheduled to take place Tuesday, September 29.

LATROBE, Pennsylvania — Person, woman, man, camera, TV.

After weathering months of insults and millions of dollars in advertising painting him as senile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden could likely just recite those five words — which President Donald Trumppreviously claimed proved his own cognitive acuity — and instantly exceed expectations in Tuesday night’s (Wednesday, 11am AEST) first debate.

“The president’s branding has ensured that all ‘Sleepy Joe’ needs to do to survive the debate is to stay awake,” said Terry Sullivan, a Republican consultant who ran Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. “Not a real well thought-through strategy when you’re debating a guy who has a lot more experience.”

“Totally,” agreed David Axelrod, who was a top aide in former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. “It is one of the only times, maybe the only time, that a candidate has so persistently worked to lower expectations for a debate opponent and build them up for himself. Usually, it’s the other way around.”

Article continues below...

What time does the US presidential debate start?

The debate will start at 9pm ET on Tuesday in America, or 11am on Wednesday for Victoria, ACT, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland, 10.30am in South Australia and NT, and 9am in Western Australia.

How do I watch the debate in Australia?

Channel 9, ABC News 24 and SBS will broadcast and stream the debate live from 11 am AEST, Wednesday, September 30.

How long will the debate go for?

90 minutes.

Who is the debate moderator?

The debate will be moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who has a reputation as a straight shooter. Wallace moderated a presidential debate in 2016, favoring direct questions to get the candidates talking. He said before the 2016 debate that he did not believe it is his job “to be a truth squad,” and he largely stayed away from interjecting to fact-check the...

Continue reading on HuffPost