Stuart Varney: Biden's State of the Union will show whether he's able to debate Trump
During his "My Take," Thursday, "Varney & Co." host Stuart Varney discussed Trump's call to debate Biden ahead of the 2024 election, arguing the president's "handlers" would do anything to avoid having President Biden stand for 90 minutes to defend his "dismal record."
STUART VARNEY: It's going to be a rematch. So are there going to be debates?
Absolutely, says Donald Trump, "anywhere, anytime, anyplace."
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And President Biden? FOX's Peter Doocy asked Karine Jean-Pierre.
PETER DOOCY: "Now that the field is down to two, is President Biden going to commit to a debate with Donald Trump?"
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "That's something for the campaign to speak to."
PETER DOOCY: "Well, we know when the debates are going to be. We know where they're going to be. Is he going to go?"
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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "You should speak to the campaign."
PETER DOOCY: "In 2020, once it got down to one-on-one, Joe Biden said, I can hardly wait to debate him. How about now?"
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "I'm going to sound like a broken record. You should reach out to the campaign."
They're not too keen on debates, and we all know why.
Biden is just not fast on his feet. He can't speak without a prompter or note cards.
A debate with the dynamic and articulate Donald Trump could be a disaster.
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His handlers would do anything to avoid that, but they'd be taking a huge risk if they said no to any debates at all.
That would confirm the fear that Biden is not up to it.
There have been TV debates since 1960 when Richard Nixon lost to the telegenic John F. Kennedy.
Ronald Reagan famously beat President Carter with the putdown, "There he goes again."
Four years later, he knocked out Walter Mondale when he said he would not exploit his opponent's youth and inexperience.
That brought the house down and ended Mondale's campaign.
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With Biden, it's not a one-liner from Trump he has to worry about.
It's the idea that for 90 minutes, he'd have to stand, think quickly, speak clearly, and defend his dismal record.
When the State of the Union message is over tonight, we should have a better idea of whether he's capable of debate.