The moderators of Tuesday night’s presidential debate know exactly what to expect from Donald Trump.
Asked for an economic plan, he’ll repeat the word “tariffs” over and over as if it means something. Asked about immigration, he’ll say something like, “Two words: Mass. Deportation. Two beautiful words.” Asked about his past lies about the 2020 election or any of his myriad legal troubles, he’ll say “RIGGED” and “WITCH HUNT” until he’s exhausted.
Add to that a healthy dose of bigotry and not-so-veiled racism and a little off-topic banter and there you have it. Trump is the depth of a kiddie pool. When ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis ask him general debate questions, they get the same load he dumps on his rallygoers.
If Harris is to define herself, Trump needs some sharp questions too
Many see this debate as a pivotal moment for Trump’s opponent. The thinking is that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket in late July, has yet to fully introduce herself to voters.
That’s fine, and I hope the moderators ask the Vice President smart and pointed questions.
But just as importantly, Davis and Muir are pressing Trump about the absurd and dangerous things he has said, demanding specific details from a man who avoids specific details any more than he avoids the truth.
Why is Trump getting a free pass? Trump is 78 and barely coherent. Where are all the people who questioned Biden’s age and fitness?
I doubt the moderators are up to their task.
By simply portraying Trump as a normal presidential candidate standing on stage next to the sitting vice president, without emphasizing that he is a convicted felon who refused to participate in the peaceful transfer of power, you give him an advantage.
The reality, for those who still believe in such a thing, is that Trump is a historically abnormal candidate.
He spreads conspiracy theories like a pressure washer, he’s been charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, he paints a dystopian picture of contemporary America, and he’s surrounded by people who keep ending up in jail.
He never stops talking about “the late, great Hannibal Lecter” and continues to rob the followers he has recruited with violent rhetoric, selling them sneakers, Christmas decorations and cheap hats with the Trump logo on them.
ABC News anchors will have to pressure Trump
Unfortunately, normalizing him has become a knee-jerk reaction for news outlets in moments like these. So if the moderators want to provide a real public service to voters, they will ask Trump questions like these:
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“You’ve said you plan to remove millions of immigrants from the country in what you call a ‘mass deportation.’ Can you explain specifically how that would work, what it would cost, where the money would come from for such a large-scale program, and how it would impact communities across America and employers who depend on the people you would deport?”
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“On the same subject, you recently said at a meeting that mass deportation would be a ‘bloody story’. What did you mean by that, and do you expect this program to be violent?”
Dick Cheney chooses Kamala Harris, giving conservatives one last chance to save the GOP from Trump
Trump should explain his alleged understanding of tariffs in detail
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“At a recent event, you said that tariffs alone would reduce child care costs. Economists agree that tariffs on foreign goods are essentially taxes paid by American companies, with the costs passed on to consumers. So how might that affect an American’s child care costs? Be specific.”
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“You have spent the years since your loss in the 2020 presidential election claiming that the results of that election were not legitimate. Many of your supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 are now in prison for believing you. But you recently said in an interview that you “narrowly lost.” What made you change your mind and now accept the results of the previous election?”
A plan to imprison political opponents? That deserves a debate question.
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“On Saturday, you posted on your social media site Truth Social that you will jail your political opponents and anyone else you believe, in your own words, ‘cheated’ in the upcoming election. You wrote, in part: ‘Be aware that this legal exposure extends to lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters, and corrupt election officials. Those involved in unconscionable conduct will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at a level sadly never before seen in our country.’ How do you justify, in a democracy, without any evidence, threats of political reprisals like this for things that did not happen?”
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“You recently said that a child can go to school and, in your words, ‘come home a few days later with surgery.’ You’re clearly referring to some kind of gender confirmation surgery, and you said that ‘the school decides what happens to your child.’ You should know that none of that is true. That’s something that doesn’t happen anywhere. Can you explain why you keep repeating such an obviously false story?”
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“Your opponent is biracial and you openly questioned her racial identity, suggesting that she only recently ‘happened to be black.’ Many Americans found that offensive. Would you please apologize for that statement, here before Vice President Harris?”
Asking Trump generic debate questions won’t help voters one bit
If part of the moderators’ job is to educate voters about Harris, then their job is to ask questions that cut through Trump’s nonsense.
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If he doesn’t answer, they should keep asking and continuing until he reveals something beyond his carnival-style talk.
It’s a tall order, but doing less is a bad thing.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Lies in Every Debate. ABC Needs to Hold Its Feet to the Fire
