If you had “middle class” in your presidential debate drinking game, you are already on a pace to be in danger of alcohol poisoning by 10 pm.
The handshake is the first surprise of the night.
This is almost certainly the second-most important presidential debate of the year.
What are the odds we get another presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris after this one? I’m skeptical.
So, if a fly lands on Trump’s head during this debate, we can rule out coincidence.
Chris Christie is one of the last commentators appearing on ABC News before the vote begins. If Trump is near a television, that will probably put him in a bad mood.
Laura Loomer was spotted arriving on Donald Trump’s airplane as it deplaned for this debate. If Trump is taking debate advice from Loomer, he’s going to miss the target of persuadable voters by so far, he will lose the debate, and deserve to lose it.
Debating in Philadelphia but without a live audience is like eating in Italy but only from brown bag PB&J sandwiches from home.
Earlier this afternoon, Joe Biden reminded Democrats that they should be counting their lucky stars that he’s no longer in the race. Here’s what the president told the White House press pool earlier today, summing up his schedule for next 24 hours: “I’m going up to my granddaughter’s birthday in New York, then we’re going to watch the debate and tomorrow I’m doing 9/11.” (Emphasis added.)
Rough gaffe timing for Harris, who is likely to face needling from Trump and the moderators about whether she believed Biden was really up for a second term before he dropped out.
As always, Republican lawmakers are hoping Trump stays poised and sticks to policy on the debate stage tonight. “All the merits of the case are his side in terms of which policies really work,” Senator Mike Braun (R., Indiana) told me earlier this afternoon. “As long as he stays on point” and litigates how good the economy was under his administration “pre-Covid,” he said, “there’s no way she can make a case against that.”