I should have said “virtual” rally, where he speaks to his VP hopefuls and to any friendly news that will be more than happy to carry him. 
I know it’s illegal to say anything that doesn’t paint Trump in the worst possible light but I’ll take a chance.
In the last year Trump has held something like 40 rallies where he speaks extemporaneously for 90-120 minutes. He’s said some dumb shit no doubt but he hasn’t flamed out. He’s had plenty of opportunities. During the debate he’s not going to flame out. It’s going to be more of the same. He’s going to repeat he’s the best and Biden is the worst. It’s going to be mostly boring sprinkled with some stupidity. Of course I’m hoping he’ll flame out in a way that makes it impossible for him to continue but I doubt it will happen.
…are not to be trusted. Slippery bastards, they are.
Especially that Stephen Miller. Man’s like a human hagfish.
Three Predictions:
Debate comes off tonight.
Within the next week, Trump says he will not show up for the September ABC debate unless Biden agrees to a third debate on a right-wing network.
Trump actually does show for the ABC debate.
While I think you’re probably right, I don’t think it’s fair to compare it to a rally. 90-120 minutes of speaking at your adoring crowd is very different than speaking to a moderator, Biden and a few cameras. No instant gratification from his base and he treats everything the mod or opponent says that isn’t “go on, Mr President, you have the floor as long as you want it” to be a personal attack. Just watch how many times he’s going to be angry because he blew through his two minutes talking about something unrelated and now “isn’t allowed” to answer the question or defend himself or rebut Biden.
One thing I’m wondering is how far into the debate he’ll make it before claiming that Biden is getting more time than him? Even if the timing of the mics getting muted is done automatically and even if the mods make sure that each person gets the exact same amount of time (that is, doling out the extra minutes evenly), I’m sure Trump will still accuse either the mods or the timers or both of giving Biden more time.
I will gladly and speedily RUN to this thread and say that if it happens! As a reminder and in the spirit of transparency, here are my predictions about tonight from earlier in this thread:
I think it’s likely to be better for Trump. One thing he loves is to hear himself talk. His most ridiculous things that come out of his mouth happen when he’s just winging it. Having specific questions will focus his answers so he doesn’t veer off into sharks and electric boats. I’m not expecting any insightful answers but I’m not expecting rambling gibberish.
Are you kidding? There’s no shortage of material showing Trump spewing gibberish when lobbed softballs by cooperative interviewers.
I’ve never doubted he will show up and that he will confidently and perhaps on occasion meanderingly not provide any substantive responses to any questions posed to him and still veer a few times into gibberish until he gets cut off for time.
They both get it. Debates aren’t about any substantive policy issues. Trump will try to project strength and Biden will treat it as a national platform to reinforce confidence he knows what he’s talking about.
Personally, I’m just trying to be accurate about where Trump is at. It’s clear from what some people are saying in this thread that they don’t understand the degree to which Trump has deteriorated. Take a look at the start of this video. Trump is showing dementia and confusion arising from his dementia in real time. He can’t find the word “rebuttal” and instead says, “refuttal–refutal or a refuttal.” It’s also clear that not being able to find such an ordinary word is just isn’t a big deal to him. Psychologists making videos about this and other glitches–he’s doing it all the time now–say that this not the kind of mistake that ordinary people–or old people like Biden–make on a daily basis. It’s a form of paraphasia that’s a really nasty symptom.
So no, that’s not “flaming out”–but it absolutely disqualifies him for the presidency if one knows what it is.
In addition to his glitches arising from dementia, he’s also losing control of the “dumb shit.” Shark vs. electrocution? The late great Hannibal Lecter? MMA league for migrants? The MSM is slowly catching on.
One of the psychologists (Harry Segal on the Shrinking Trump podcast on the Really American channel on YouTube) has pointed out that Trump does better in the daytime, as is true of many people with dementia. The debate will be at night.
I’m not sure what your definition of “flaming out” is. I think Trump will look really bad and pathetic next to Biden. That’s all that really matters.
Re: Trump not knowing the word “rebuttal” as an indicator of his senility: maybe he’s just stupid.
Or how magnets don’t work underwater! You may have a point here but there’s definitely evidence in his rally speeches of markedly increased senility, completely aside from his propensity to lie every time he opens his mouth. For instance there’s a clip in the “Schadenfreude” thread in the Pit (in a post dated June 24) where Fox News coverage of his recent Philadelphia rally had to be cut off in mid-sentence because the rambling incoherence was just getting embarrassing. It was the bit about how “they” don’t want you to have water for your “washing machine” so you won’t be able to wash your dishes. No water. “They” don’t want you to have any. And there was this bit about “Did you see the other day … I just … I opened it up and they closed it again … O opened it, they closed it” which was totally incoherent. What the hell was he talking about? No one knows. “It” is one of those mystery pronouns in the Trump lexicon, like “they”, only even more mysterious.
Will his responses in the debate be equally incoherent at times? I guess we’ll find out.
Last Call: will Trump plead that his bone spurs are acting up, or not?
He still has time to back out. I seriously doubt he will. He may hurt himself the most by showing up. However, if he’s never spoken without an audience before there’s also a chance he turns out to be good at it. It’s a bad idea to think this is in the bag for Biden.
I don’t expect him to be eloquent. I don’t expect him to be intelligent. I just think that expecting him to be much worse than he has been in past debates is a little unrealistic. By any measure Trump has never won a debate but that’s largely forgotten by Election Day. I do hope he will do something that can’t be ignored by any but the most ardent cult member but I doubt it will happen.
Like very loudly shitting his pants while his mic is turned on? Because that would be epic!
Did we just become best friends?
Sure but winning a debate is meaningless unless it translates into votes which I don’t think it does anymore. Both sides will claim that they pwnd the other side.
Simulcast across multiple networks.
No matter what, many of us will be viewing the same thing at
the same time, for the first time since there were three networks. 20th century vibes, for those who celebrate.
What time?