The co-hosts of ABC’s "The View" speculated on what President Biden and former President Trump need to do to have a successful debate night, with one warning that Trump could bring up Hunter Biden son.
The panel discussed what could happen during Thursday's CNN-hosted event and argued that Biden needs to do his best to "rattle" Trump and make him emotional. Co-host Joy Behar, however, warned that Trump could do the same.
"What if Trump says something about his son, about Biden’s son — that’s a trigger point?" Behar said.
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The panelists considered what Trump and Biden both need to do for successful debates. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said Trump will have a good night if he appears "not crazy" and keeps his talking points to substantive policy.
Ana Navarro added that if Biden shows up and stays conscious, he will have been successful, since that would counter a conservative narrative.
"I think the Republicans and Trump and his minions have done themselves such a disservice with all of these edited cut and splice videos spreading around of Biden seeming lost and decrepit," she said. "They’ve lowered the bar so that if Joe Biden shows up and doesn’t keel over on his way to the podium, he’s had a good night."
Navarro also stated that Biden needs to look for ways to rattle Trump.
"I think he needs to mock him, get under his skin. He needs to cure Trump amnesia that this country has and remind us of the horror of the four years," she said.
Her colleague Sarah Haines agreed to riling up Trump, but said she doesn’t think Biden needs to resort to mockery.
"You could stay the more, like, regular person and be the contrast to his crazy, just by talking about some of the things that enrage him. Talk about who won the election," she said. "He is a highly emotional reactive human being,"
"I would prefer he doesn’t mock him because mocking is Donald Trump’s weapon," Haines added. "He does it well. Let him do that. Beat him on calm topics that will just make him lose his mind."
Behar then brought up her worry that Trump would criticize Hunter Biden. But Hostin kept faith in the president.
"I think Biden is a real statesman, and I think he will rise to that occasion," she said. "And we know who Trump is. He’s a convicted felon."
Navarro said it might be an unwise line of attack for the former president.
"You know something? If Donald Trump goes after Hunter Biden, he does it at his own peril," she said. "It’s few American families that haven’t been touched by the scour [sic] of addiction, including the Trump family. He has a brother who died of addiction."
Trump, whose brother Fred Trump died of alcohol addiction in 1981, sympathized with Biden over his son's addiction in a recent interview with Fox News.
"It’s a very tough situation for a father. It’s a very tough situation for a brother or sister, and it goes on, and it’s not stopping, whether it’s alcohol or drugs or whatever it may be," he said.
