MSNBC reported Rump is not prepping for the debates.

[MoonRiver]

If true, this indicates, to me, that he's going to back out of them. The ignorant little bully knows he's no match for Hillary's brilliance.

[FarPoint]

1. Meaning...

If he shows up....he will just spew venom and hate...make it a verbal domestic abuse style performance....Just like one would see preformed like the obnoxious drunk on a Saturday night...

[dubyadiprecession]

29. With no teleprompter, trump will fall back into his old ways.

Like he has for more than a year.

[TeamPooka]

58. 90 minutes of Trump improv. Worst Open Mike Night ever. nt

[TheBlackAdder]

41. No worries. Futureworld is building a robotic replacement, to take his place during the debates.

[liberal N proud]

2. The ever arrogant Trump thinks he is far superior that his opponent

And therefore no preparation required.

Reality will have him slinging insults and mistruths. All it will take is for Hillary to incite him and off he will go.

[thesquanderer]

35. I wonder what prep work he did for the Republican candidate debates?

If he basically did none then, he is probably figuring the same will work now.

[alphafemale]

53. They were all intimidated by him. Hillary is not.

So long as the moderator enforces the rules even to a moderate decree Trump is a toasted manic Tang.

[TwilightZone]

3. More likely, I think he believes that he doesn't have to prep for them.

He'll just blather on with stuff from his stump speech.

That's assuming that MSNBC's source is accurate in the first place. That's a big assumption, anymore.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Trump won't treat it as a debate

and respect its rules of engagement.

He will come out with some toxic zingers against HRC and the moderators. He will employ logical fallacies and not answer the questions posed to him. He will give responses to questions he chooses. He will insult and attack. He will attempt to make the debates about himself. He will call for his followers to work against any administration but his.

[VOX]

10. Most likely scenario. (Well laid out!) n/t

[MoonRiver]

12. I'm sure Hillary and her team are well aware, and are preparing zingers of their own.

She will deliver them in a calm and measured way, but they will be the kind of remarks guaranteed to send Mr. Rump into a total meltdown. I really, really hope these debates take place, because I DO expect to be royally entertained by Mr. Tiny Whatever!

[sofa king]

47. She'll do a "fly-over" of Trump.

At this point I'm convinced that Trump's actual objective is to generate interest and funding in the next evolution of his media career. It's highly unlikely that he can or even wants to connect with informed voters.

What he wants is to secure the funding-conduit of our least informed voters, trying to use the Backfire Effect by goading Mrs. Clinton into correcting his bullshit (that makes conservative voters believe the lies all the more fervently).

The way to beating that tactic was shown by President Obama in the last Presidential debates against Mitt Romney. Romney tried all night to infuriate the President, but instead he stuck to his own policy and his own knowledge of the subjects. I expect Mrs. Clinton to do the same, and I expect some percentage of viewers to go completely apoplectic over her refusal to call Trump out.

Unfortunately, being boring, informed, and Presidential is the way to win the Presidency. So unless Mrs. Clinton decides she can overcome a wave of enthusiasm for Trump that will be generated by her taking him on directly, she'll take a comparatively un-entertaining path through the debates.

[Monk06]

60. You are correct. He will treat the debate like a monoloque I'll be surprised if he acknowledges

Hillary on the stage

[CrispyQ]

5. I'm hoping for a full-on meltdown on the debate stage.

I expect a two year old temper tantrum & HRC will figuratively have to put the Donald in the corner for a time out.

[MoonRiver]

13. If Rump is alone with her on the debate floor for 2 hours, no way he can keep it together.

The brat will get spanked!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. tRump is going to pour out lies, exaggerations & BS and try to win as an entertainer fundamentally.

He thinks he can win by dominating the news cycle by saying outrageous stuff. Though that worked in the Primaries, it has less effectiveness in the general election, though it still has some.

Hillary needs to be (and surely will be) calm and let him spew. Then she can dig the knife in for a few select but deep cuts. If she can plant irritants under his thin skin and get him to rant out of control, it'd be great!

[anamandujano]

68. I like your scenario.

I'm pretty sure I won't be watching but will park it here to get the buffered version of what is happening.

[book_worm]

7. He is in his own way...

“Donald Trump is taking a different approach. He summons his informal band of counselors — including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and ousted Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes — to his New Jersey golf course for Sunday chats. Over bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs and glasses of Coca-Cola, they test out zingers and chew over ways to refine the Republican nominee’s pitch.”

https://politicalwire.com/2016/08/27/two-different-approaches-to-debate-prep/

Testing out zingers.

[VOX]

11. If he keeps up that particular diet, he won't make it to November.

Empty carbs, heavily salted grease and a shitload of sugar. Sayonara.

[Justice]

52. But he is so healthy, he can eat anything..... (sarcasm)

[whistler162]

65. Let us send him tin cans!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

71. Send him gummi dildos like were sent to the Bundy gang in Oregon :)

[Ilsa]

54. But it's the 4 major food groups: salt, fat, sugar, & caffeine! nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

62. Don't forget the overcooked steaks

He say Trump steaks are the best

[nruthie]

8. It seems that he feels that since he knows it all..

It isn't neccessary to waste his time thinking about it. When you are sure of your superiority there is no reason to concern yourself with petty matters. Hilary is, after all only a woman.

[writes3000]

9. He's lowering expectations. He's nothing else but he is a showman.

[jcgoldie]

14. Gish Gallop

I expect Trump to simply spew so much complete bullshit that HRC can't possibly respond to the ridiculousness of it all and it will be difficult for her to stay on track and speak about policy or anything resembling reality. She's, of course, tremendously more knowledgeable and discussing policy in detail is her strength. This is why Trump will try to simply turn it into a shoving match and unfortunately half the country will ignore the fact checkers the next day when they say that 95% of what he said was complete BS.

[MoonRiver]

16. Wow, you don't know much about Hillary taking on misogynist jerks in debates!

Listen to her debate with Rick Lazio to understand better. PS, she beat the creep in a landslide!

[Ishoutandscream2]

51. Tim Fucking Russert. Memories...

Uggh. The "reporter" who always thought he was more important than the story. Or that he was the story.

[TeamPooka]

59. I agree. With the Gishing, it's going to be a moderator's nightmare too. nt

[csziggy]

74. Each candidate has limited time for responses

Two minutes for the first response, then a short time for discussion after.

First presidential debate (September 26, 2016, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY)

The debate will be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on major topics to be selected by the moderator and announced at least one week before the debate.

The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will then have an opportunity to respond to each other. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.

Vice presidential debate (October 4, 2016, Longwood University, Farmville, VA)

The debate will be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.

Second presidential debate (October 9, 2016, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO)

The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which half of the questions will be posed directly by citizen participants and the other half will be posed by the moderator based on topics of broad public interest as reflected in social media and other sources. The candidates will have two minutes to respond and there will be an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate further discussion. The town meeting participants will be uncommitted voters selected by the Gallup Organization.

Third presidential debate (October 19, 2016, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV)

The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate.
http://www.debates.org/index.php?page=2016debates

As long as the moderators - who apparently have not been announced - do their jobs, no Gish Gallops should be allowed!

[randome]

15. It's what he does best -responding off-the-cuff with bombast and hyperbole.

He is incapable of studying an issue or an opponent in-depth. He doesn't have the temperament or the focus or the literacy to study anything.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[Person 2713]

17. If this turns in to a circus or Punch and Judy show it will be sad for many . Entertaining WWE stuff

for the other half I imagine but not what debates are intended for

[EL34x4]

33. Of course it will be a circus.

Do you think the networks want boring, sober debates on policy?

Americans want to be entertained!

[Person 2713]

43. The Sanders Clinton OMalley debates are an example of an exchange and debate fit for POTUS

IMO .

[WillyBrandt]

18. Don't be fooled: lowering expectations

We don't know if he's prepping or not. Suspect the latter, but either way it's the classic pre-debate-move.

[Peacetrain]

63. ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Could not agree more!!

[jberryhill]

19. There will be no debates

[msanthrope]

66. I'm starting to think that. nt

[Johnny2X2X]

20. He'll prepare for the second one

Hillary will be ready. I am sure she is having mock debates where her opponent yells over her and calls her names. I'm sure she's also preparing for an antagonistic moderator.

When you look at Hillary's campaign you see the most prepared campaign I have ever seen. They are usually controlling the narrative and they always anticipate what's next.

Hillary's got this. She and her campaign are prepared for anything Donald will throw at her in the debates or on the trail or in the media. They are leaving nothing to chance.

[MoonRiver]

21. "Hillary's got this." I completely agree!

That fool Rump will be obliterated after 30 minutes on the debate stage with HER!

[randome]

24. I hope she's also preparing for the completely unanticipated: a calm and measured debating opponent.

Are there any Trump impersonators out there? If Trump can be Meredith McIver, maybe Meredith McIver can stand in for Trump.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[denverbill]

22. Trump doesn't work for anything. Doing anything hard is beneath him.

He won't back out. He'll just be Trump and answer questions with insults, hyperbole, and completely fact-free. He has no actual policy positions and doesn't care if he says something 180 degrees different than what he said 15 seconds ago because nobody calls him on it and his followers don't care.

And then the TV stations will post an online poll asking who won and Republican die-hards will flood the polls and the networks will declare him the winner.

[MoonRiver]

23. Vast majority of online polls have NO legitimacy.

Legit polls will tell a different story. But thanks for your concern.

[pnwmom]

25. To admit he's prepping for debates might suggest there's something he doesn't already know,

and he's certainly not going to do that!

He's prepping, in his stupid way.

[MoonRiver]

26. Lol, this!

[Aviation Pro]

27. He's prepping...

...by eating hamburgers and hot dogs with his racist BFFs. According to reports, they're sitting around coming up with 'zingers' and insults for the debate.

And this is the 'brain trust' at the table.



Fuck these fucking clowns. No offense to fucking clowns.

[MoonRiver]

28. Clowns everywhere united against Rump!

Or if not they should be. He's giving them a bad rap!

[Funtatlaguy]

30. Here's his playbook

Emails....she crooked.
Benghazi....she's a killer
Clinton Foundation....pay for play thief
Monica....she's an enabler and bad for women....women love me, just ask Ivanka.
She's a bigot....blacks and Hispanics love me!...I just ate KFC and Taco Bell.

[joeybee12]

31. I'm not buying that...

It's spin...he's prepping like crazy so when he loses he can say, but I didn't prepare.

[Tanuki]

36. I agree. I think that is why he has cancelled several events

recently. His handlers are desperately trying to cram information into him at the last minute, just as they did with Sarah Palin, and the effort to educate him will be just as futile. I don't know why anyone gives the slightest bit of credence to anything put out by that pathological liar or his campaign crew.

[Liberal_in_LA]

55. He has had more than a year to study..he didnt want to

[Cycle2016]

38. I agree with u

He's just lowering his expectations so when he loses the media will fell sorry for him. Kellyanne Conway will be prepping him probably with the help of her husband. They are no strangers to the Clintons.

"Conway isn’t the only person in her family who has worked to take down the Clintons. Her husband, George T. Conway III, a lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, was behind some of the most bitter lawsuits against Bill Clinton in the 1990s and stories that were promoted via the Drudge Report."

[SHRED]

32. She needs to be the adult in the debates

And I fully expect she understands that.

[Blue Idaho]

34. There will be no debates

Not a chance Trump will debate Sec. Clinton. He is retreating to the Fox bunker for the duration.

[Thrill]

37. He knows he's not going to talk real policy

He's just going to be up there answering every question by calling her a liar or crook. Don't think for a second this will be a real debate

[Vinca]

39. I hope he shows up for them.

We should start a pool to guess whether or not he calls Hillary the "c" word on live television. It's not outside the realm of possibility.

[workinclasszero]

40. He is just going to spew

lie after lie anyway.

We will see if the moderators call him out for it.

I doubt it TBH.

[grossproffit]

42. If he thinks that sideshow he pulled at the GOP debates will work w/ Hillary he's DEAD WRONG!

Dead FUCKING WRONG!

[NurseJackie]

44. So ... Hillary will shine ... just like in the primary debates!

I'm looking forward to this!!

[AgadorSparticus]

45. He doesn't need to prep when he just makes up outlandish lies

[renate]

49. I'm just about 100% positive that this is his sole tactic

He'll just make stuff up; it'll get him through the live debates, and low-information voters won't read or hear about the fact-checking later.

[AgadorSparticus]

50. You know what scares me? That there are THAT MANY people out there

That are low informant, racist assholes like his base. How is that possible?

[Lsantos04]

46. He'll be playing with fire

One only has to watch the Benghazi hearings to see that Hillary is a master debater. Trump will be crushed in the debates, there's no question about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he loses it and calls her the b word on national television.

[MoonRiver]

48. I predict an historic meltdown!

Marking the days until Hillary hands him his fat ass!

[Adrahil]

56. He's bullshitted his way through his whole life.

He's not used to having his claims examined in detail.

So far, he's managed to do the same in the primaries.

But now he's getting called on it. He's not sure what to do. Some of the media is doing its job. Others in the media are still acting like he's a normal candidate.

[Auggie]

57. Won't matter to his core supporters ... if spun correctly, could even increase his approval

IMO, BTW.

Trump campaigns as the ultimate outsider. What better way to prove it than looking un-rehearsed (even if the deabtes take place)? There are a lot of voters out there who aspire to stupidity. I will not underestimate a "dumbed down" America.

[LisaL]

61. He thinks he knows everything there is to know.

So no need to be prepping.

[DFW]

64. He thinks he's Conrad Cornelius O'Donald O'Dell

"So now I know everything anyone knows,
From beginning to end, from the start to the close...."

[MoonRiver]

67. And he knows more about ISIS than the generals.

Series!

[DFW]

69. He knows more about flying helicopters than his pilots, too, I'll bet

I'll still pass on flying with him as pilot--whether of a helicopter or as CIC.

[BigDemVoter]

70. I don't think so. . . .

He's planning on yammering and bullshitting throughout the entire debate and having the MSM sit there and not challenge one single thing he says. And to sum it all up after all the shit has spattered, they will say it's a "draw."

[BumRushDaShow]

72. The debates will be "Show Time™"

for the carnival barker. He'll be there. He's a ratings juggernaut so expect softball questions along with questions that will push his buttons to go off-script and give the networks one hell of a performance and audience boost. They know that "everyone" will be tuning in just to watch a train wreck in motion and he won't disappoint.

He'll manipulate the audience, he'll manipulate the moderators, and he'll manipulate the media.

[lindysalsagal]

73. He's accustomed to fearful opponents. She doesn't scare.

Her knowing "we're not fooled" grin will get a workout. She's gonna deflate him with mockery. Not even fair.

[Orsino]

75. To be fair, Trump prepping probably looks just like Trump not prepping.

I've long thought that he'll quit, but so far I've been wrong for about a year. I just can't imagine what he thinks he'll get out of staying in the race and losing to Clinton.

[kevink077]

76. He will pull out I am sure

His handlers likely do not want him in a debate, and I cannot say I blame them.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

77. No, it means the opposite. He will NOT back out.

What? turn away free advertising and brand promotion?

He doesn't read, he only watches TV, he knows more than anyone, and he really doesn't like anyone telling him what to do or what to day. Unless it is his idea, it is not as good as what he would concoct.

That means he will wing it. He will attack, attack some more, ignore the question, and attack again.

[redStateBlueHeart]

78. This rings true, given the man's infinite narcissism

On the other hand, he could also be playing 11th-dimensional Jenga and preparing to blow us away with his mad policy skillz he's been saving up for the debates.