Donald Trump is a coward for not debating tonight – The Hill

There’s a word for a man who is afraid to show up: coward.

Former President Donald Trump is a coward when it comes to debating his primary opponents.

Don’t get me wrong: Sometimes cowards win. For example, the governor of Arizona refused to debate her opponent last year, and she’s the current governor of Arizona. In politics, as in sports, it doesn’t matter if you win by one or by 1 million.

But in politics, especially presidential politics, courage matters.

A rather large part of Trump’s appeal in 2016 was his seeming fearlessness. He was willing to say things that were not poll-tested. In some cases, conventional wisdom held that his comments would prove disastrous for any candidate to utter them, even if they reflected things that many people were thinking.

Trump’s willingness to speak out, even at the possible cost of offending everyone, was endearing in a very weird way. It’s also what made his rallies must-see television.

Trump is no longer a political novice or “just a businessman.” He is now a politician, because that’s what happens when you become president. And the “aw, shucks, I’m new to all this” attitude doesn’t play for him now the same as it did in 2016. As a politician, Trump didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.

In 2016, when Trump said things that tied the tongues of his primary opponents or even Hillary Clinton, it was both fun and funny. But at a certain point, the president has to be at least a little presidential. So does a former president. Attitude is a poor substitute for substance the second time around.

Trump is far ahead in the polls. The only thing with greater separation between Trump and his competitors are the Republican nominating contests themselves. The argument that Trump doesn’t need to debate because of his current lead is a poor one. Early poll “winners” such as Scott Walker and Howard Dean can tell you how that worked out.

And don’t forget that Trump did skip a 2016 debate. He might have lost the Iowa caucuses as a consequence, as he himself acknowledged afterward.

Trump really isn’t campaigning much at all. He holds occasional rallies, but those aren’t designed to broaden his appeal. They’re mostly just airings of his grievances. Attendees this time around are his devoted faithful, not curious and undecided voters.

And Trump’s currently strong polling in the general election is more a reflection of just how bad at the job President Joe Biden has been. It has nothing to do with the public yearning for Trump or any other Republican.

In the abstract, it is enough right now not to be Biden, especially since Trump isn’t really making much of a case for himself. That won’t remain true for long.

In most of Trump’s campaign speeches and interviews (regardless of the question), he whines about the media and lies about his opponents — mostly Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R). Somehow, DeSantis was closer to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during COVID-19 than Trump, even though DeSantis quickly began to ignore Fauci’s decrees, whereas Trump basically turned over his administration to Fauci.

Lying about someone when they’re not there to refute it is easy. Having that person on stage next to you is a whole different ballgame.

Being on stage means having to answer for contradicting your previous stance on abortion. It means having to answer for Fauci. It means having to answer for dozens of personnel decisions that retroactively became “horrible” because the hires ultimately disagreed with you. It means having to explain totalitarian-sounding declarations about using the presidency to unleash government on your political enemies — even if they deserve it on strictly karmic terms — or attacking the First Amendment.

Most importantly, debating means having to articulate specifics about a vision for the future. Thus far, Trump’s argument seems to be that he deserves to be rewarded for previous deeds. While things were certainly better under Trump than they are now, the presidency is not a thank-you card for deeds you did years ago.

Trump shouldn’t debate, his supporters say, because there’s nowhere for him to go but down. That’s not true, though. He could wipe out everyone else, if he prepared and performed well.

That’s what I think he’s really afraid of.

If he doesn’t show up because the others aren’t “legitimate” contenders, then Biden is empowered to do the same. Legitimacy, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.

Biden doesn’t want to be on stage with Trump for largely the same reasons Trump doesn’t want to be on stage with other Republican candidates. If Trump won’t do it, why would Biden? Then it becomes a campaign of two old men hurling personal insults on social media, which is exactly what Democrats want — a rerun of 2020.

President Trump, man up and debate — if only to show the voters you still can.

Derek Hunter is host of the Derek Hunter Podcast and a former staffer for the late Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.).

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Donald Trump is a coward for not debating tonight - The Hill