Trump’s top 10 tricks: Here’s a useful guide to have on hand as the presidential debates get underway

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Ready for even more Trumpian disinformation?

Cornered by a continuing pandemic, teetering economy and racial strife, President Houdini has been resorting to rhetorical tricks honed over a lifetime to escape political calamity. One way to prepare for this Tuesday’s first debate and his Fall barrage is to reveal Trump’s “magic” beforehand so that viewers and voters can be their own BS Detector when he next tries to sliver away from lying about Covid-19 or his fascistic plans to overthrow the election.

1. Cherry-picking — Black Swans.

This trick is based on seeing a black swan and then pretending all swans are black. Continue reading.

The Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates

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The upcoming debates offer President Trump his best chance to shift momentum in an election campaign he appears to be losing — but some signs don’t augur well.

Past incumbent presidents have struggled, especially in their first debate, yet Team Trump has insisted the president does not need specific preparations for his clashes with Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

“He is preparing for debates by running the country as president,” campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said on a recent call with reporters. “I don’t know that any actual debate prep has occurred to this point, and I don’t know of what plans are to begin that.” Continue reading.

Trump slams debate commission, raising questions about his participation

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Monday hammered the Commission on Presidential Debates, raising questions about his participation in debates next year with the eventual Democratic presidential nominee.

The president, in a trio of tweets, said he looked forward to debating “whoever the lucky person is who stumbles across the finish line” in the Democratic primary.

But he chastised the nonprofit commission responsible for organizing the presidential debates and suggested he might avoid them. That group has scheduled three general election debates next year.

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