Trump Campaign Is Wishing, Hoping, Praying He Can Win the September Debate

Welcome back to Barf Bag. 

Things have been going terribly for Donald Trump ever since Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Democrats consolidated behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump can no longer say his opponent is a doddering old man, Harris has erased Biden's deficits in swing state polls, and people keep unearthing clips of absolutely batshit crazy things that Trump's running mate JD Vance has said about women, namely that they must birth children in order to contribute to society.

Now, according to an analysis published in the Guardian, the Trump campaign has been so rocked by Biden's exit that they're hoping he can win the September 10 debate to try and regain some momentum. The Guardian's Hugo Lowell reports that team Trump doesn't think there's anything their candidate can do right now to change the narrative. Lowell writes:

What has happened internally in the Trump campaign in recent weeks is the realization that nothing they do in the period up to the debate is likely to cut through in a significant way that blunts Harris’s gains that have her level in key swing state polls, according to people close to the matter.

​And because they don’t think the messaging will cut through, senior advisers are left hoping that Trump can energize voters with his performance on stage, the people said.

A big problem with this wait-and-pray approach is that Trump will be debating Harris—who, we can't emphasize enough, is a former prosecutor who knows how to put people on the spot and make them look like idiots or liars. She has demonstrated these skills in many a Senate hearing:

https://twitter.com/kamalahq/status/1826407751553273858

Sure, there will be a lot of pressure on Harris since the last debate is what precipitated the end of Biden's five-year political career, but it seems like she is more than up to the task.

It remains to be seen if the microphones will be muted so only one candidate can speak at a time. Those were the rules Biden agreed to, but the Harris campaign asked for unmuted mics and Trump and his campaign seem to be in disagreement over that. Harris campaign adviser Brian Fallon said on Twitter that “even though Trump said Monday he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don’t trust him to spar live with VP Harris."

Sounds like Trump is scared, and he should be!

• Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss asked a court to transfer ownership of Rudy Giuliani's assets to them so they can collect the $146 million defamation judgment in their favor. Giuliani falsely claimed that the women engaged in voter fraud. [CNN]
• Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Democratic opponent Trisha Calvarese challenged her to a televised debate, and trollingly suggested it take place at the Denver theater where Boebert was asked to leave after vaping and groping during a performance of Beetlejuice the Musical. [Twitter]
• Nebraska Republicans are trying to strip voting rights away from formerly incarcerated people. The move to block voter registration could have the biggest impact in Omaha, home to a district with a crucial electoral vote that could decide the outcome of the presidential election. [Bolts]
• Grifters and former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard are "honorary co-chairs" of Trump's transition team, the group that would advise on White House hires if he wins. [New York Times]
• A Trump biopic that the Trump campaign didn't want to come out will premiere on October 11, in the final weeks before Election Day. The Apprentice stars Sebastian Stan as a young Trump and Jeremy Strong as fixer Roy Cohn. [The Hollywood Reporter]
• Add the White Stripes’ Jack White to the list of artists threatening to sue Trump for using their music. [The Guardian]
• Trump tried to wave away a reporter's questions on abortion, later telling a crowd "That’s so overplayed. We have abortions. We have the whole thing brought back into the states where it belongs." [Mediaite]

This has been your weekly Barf Bag, thanks for reading!