VICTOR JOECKS: How Trump can win the first presidential debate

Presidential debates rarely shake up the race. This year may be the exception.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump square off in the first of two scheduled debates. Over the past few weeks, Biden’s apparent dementia has caused him to awkwardly freeze in public appearances. That could happen here. But hoping your opponent glitches is a poor strategy. Here’s what Trump should do to win the debate.

1. Advocate for RFK. There will be only two people on stage despite there being three candidates occasionally hitting double digits in national polls. The Biden campaign is terrified of disappointed Democrats hearing from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

That’s an opening for Trump. Early in the debate he should blast Biden for being scared of Kennedy. He should remind viewers how Democrats rigged their primary to undercut Kennedy’s chances. Say something like “RFK deserves to be on this stage. I’m happy to debate him in September. Joe, will you commit right now to including RFK in our next debate or are you too chicken?”

Trump should also highlight how Biden’s Democrat allies are working feverishly to keep Kennedy and Green Party candidate Jill Stein off the ballot in many states, including Nevada. Talking about this would also be an effective response when Biden and the moderators claim Jan. 6 was a threat to democracy.

2. Keep the focus on Biden’s record. Trump loves to be the center of attention. But his best path to victory is making the election all about Biden and how terrible he’s been.

The economy and inflation are obvious. This is right in Trump’s wheelhouse, and his PR genius and ability to personalize issues will likely shine here. Other points to bring up include immigration and foreign policy. Trump should contrast how much safer America and the world was during his presidency.

3. Reframe the questions. If there was a neutral moderator, Trump would be a clear favorite Thursday night. But he’ll be debating one-on-three. CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have a long history of anti-Trump bias. For example, Tapper panned the New York Post’s bombshell report on Hunter Biden’s laptop that came out before the 2020 election.

“The right wing is going crazy with all sorts of allegations about Biden and his family. Too disgusting to even repeat here,” Tapper said at the time.

Yet prosecutors and the FBI relied on that laptop when securing a recent conviction of the younger Biden. Don’t expect Tapper to change course. He and Bash are likely to ask lots of questions about Jan. 6 and Trump’s felony convictions but not press Biden about “10 percent for the big guy.”

4. Fend off felony attacks. Biden is certain to hammer Trump over his 34 felony convictions in New York. Trump shouldn’t belabor the details, but turn the barb around. Note that Democrats are twisting the legal system to attack him because they know Biden can’t win on his record. Personalize it, as Trump often does, by reminding voters that Democrats are coming after him because he’s standing up for them.

A Trump debate victory isn’t a sure thing, but if he takes these steps, it’ll be well within reach.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.