President Joe Biden's campaign team getting former President Donald Trump to agree to unfavorable debate terms is a huge victory for the incumbent Democrat, according to CNN host Michael Smerconish.
In a Saturday segment on his eponymous show, Smerconish opined that the 45th president of the United States' "eagerness to get Biden into the ring" for general election debates got him in trouble. The CNN host said that the terms of the two debates on both his network in June and on ABC in September suggest that the "Art of the Deal" author "surrendered his leverage and made a bad deal."
"Think about it: Only two debates instead of the standard three, no audience, no input on moderators, no Fox News and no [independent presidential candidate] RFK Jr.," Smerconish said. "That last agreement was probably the easiest deal point."
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Smerconish noted that while RFK Jr.'s presence at a debate was initially perceived as harmful to Biden given his prominent last name and his relation to celebrated Democratic figures like his father and uncle, it could also be just as bad for Trump given RFK Jr.'s stances on vaccines and guns. Additionally, Biden did a public press conference in which members of the Kennedy family stood alongside him and gave their endorsement, while simultaneously distancing themselves from their relative's quixotic campaign.
Trump has also attacked RFK Jr. on his Truth Social platform after a poll showed his campaign has appeal to Republican-leaning voters. The ex-president referred to the independent candidate as a "Radical Left Liberal" secretly working with Biden to undermine the Republican ticket.
"His Views on Vaccines are FAKE, as is everything else about his Candidacy," Trump said in April. "Let the Democrats have RFK Jr. They deserve him!"
Aside from the "wild card" candidacy of RFK Jr., Smerconish posited that Biden attempting to debate Trump as early as June — as opposed the traditional general election debates hosted by the bipartisan Commission for Presidential Debates — was a "hail Mary" from the Biden campaign to grab voters' attention in swing states before early voting started. He added that "perhaps the biggest advantage that Biden gleaned was to eliminate the audience," given Trump's ability to work a room.
READ MORE: 'Wasted protest vote': Trump unleashes on RFK Jr. after polls suggest appeal to GOP voters
"Donald Trump thrives on live crowds — even those that oppose him," Smerconish said. "His retail [politics] game far exceeds that of Joe Biden. You can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he calibrates lines that do and don't work when in a crowd. A silent room? That's not his friend. It steps on his oxygen hose."
"And moreover, by agreeing to the framework proposed by Biden, Trump has surrendered any input on moderators, and he's surrendered his home court: There will be no Fox News," he continued. "Two debates. That's enough to end the argument that Biden is in hiding, and less than the three that brings added risk of faux pas."
The CNN host concluded by saying that Trump's hopes of making Biden look "frail" would be undercut by Biden having even a middling debate performance. He said Trump's continued attacks on Biden's "acuity" lowers the bar for what would constitute an acceptable debate from his opponent.
"If Biden can remain on his feet with his mouth moving, watchers might think he had a pretty good night," Smerconish said.
READ MORE: (Opinion) Biden can bait Trump into a debate, because Trump is weak
Watch the video of Smerconish's comments below, or by clicking this link.
