Mehdi Hasan, a Guardian US columnist and the author of Win Every Argument, tells Michael Safi why Donald Trump is such a difficult opponent in a debate.
“He basically produces a stream of nonstop, unrelenting, ceaseless bullshit, which he uses to spray over his opponent and any moderator or interviewer … It makes it almost impossible to interrupt him, to factcheck him, to respond to him, to get him to respond to your question, because it’s just a stream of consciousness.”
On Tuesday, the first – and possibly only – presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be broadcast to millions. Hasan’s advice to Harris: Pick your battles, do not budge on your argument and call out Trump’s behaviour.
But there will be challenges for Trump too. “I think he needs to be extra careful,” Hasan says. “Because he’s not just up against a woman, a la Hillary Clinton, he’s up against a black woman, and that makes him lose it, because he cannot handle strong black women.”
“If his team is smart, they will be impressing upon him not to do something insane and racist or misogynistic. Because ultimately, it does come down to this handful of swing states, and there are white suburban moms who are now switching over to Harris.”
Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
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