Why I Wouldn’t Debate Trump
by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD
Welcome to From Insults to Respect.
Kamala Harris has agreed to debate Donald Trump on September 10th.
Dr. Jeffrey Rubin
I get why politically she feels she needs to agree to it–she doesn’t want to look like she’s afraid of him. Nevertheless, if I was in her place, I would have rejected the proposal because Trump, at these events, does not debate. Yes, he shows up at these events and will listen to the questions posed to him. But then he goes into throwing insults at his opponents, brazenly tells one lie after another, and irrationally declares he can, if elected, solve one major problem after another typically within 24 hours after assuming the presidency.
When Senator Ted Cruz was vying for the presidency against Trump, he repeatedly called Cruz, “Lyin’ Ted.” Of course, when Cruz began to support Trump for president, Trump changed his tune and declared, “He’s not Lyin’ Ted anymore, he’s beautiful Ted. I call him Texas Ted.” Trump does this so frequently, Wikipedia actually has a separate page for all of Trump’s insults.
He has already called Vice President Harris, Comrade Harris, while lying that she is a communist. Other insults thrown at Harris by Trump are, according to the Wikipedia page, “Crazy Kamala,” and “Lyin’ Kamala Harris.” Of course his favorite lie is that he won the last presidential election.
Repeatedly, during this election cycle, Trump has declared that he could end Russia’s war against Ukraine in 24 hours. In previous election cycles, he declared he would end the Affordable Care Act within 24 hours of being elected. He did get elected and eight years later the ACA is still here. The Dreamers (immigrants who came illegally as children with their parents) were going to be sent back, if he got elected, and after a Supreme Court ruling, they are still here. Just declaring that you are going to make something happen is not a reasonable argument worthy of being debated. Presidents are not dictators. They must contend with two other branches of government (Congress and the judicial system) to achieve their objectives.
Not only are these types of behavior inconsistent with what a debate is supposed to be about, but it is also disrespectful. To show up to an event in which you know you are going to be repeatedly insulted and lied to, is not my cup of tea. Any reasonable arguments that are backed up by evidence that Vice President Harris will mak
e will be declared by Trump as “fake news.” Is that really a reasonable counter argument?
Rather than to show up at an event billed as a debate with Trump, I would seek to make friends with his supporters. I would do this by first explaining to them that I recognize that they love it when Trump insults those who are working against his presidential aspirations. Nevertheless, there is no need to waste the time of the many voters who view Trump’s behaviors at debates as abhorrent. After all, Trump’s supporters have ample opportunity to hear him acting this way at all of his rallies, and there are numerous videos of him displaying his shtick readily available on media sites. 
I would also explain to voters that I understand why a large minority of voters love to see him act in these ways. They are understandably awfully angry about such things as the prices at the supermarket and the situation at our southern border.
I would explain that I recognize that most of these angry voters are wonderful Americans. They consist of some of my dear friends, and even several family members that I love dearly.
They include crucial members of our communities, such as nurses who are tending to the sick, law enforcement workers keeping our neighborhoods safe, brave military personnel protecting us from would-be foreign invaders, and waiters and waitresses making special meals a delight. It is just that these Americans are so angry about certain situations occurring in America that they find themselves in their fury blaming those whom they view as responsible for these situations, and each time they hear Trump also blaming those same people, they find themselves cheering.
These fellow Americans, in their fury, can’t get by their disappointment that Trump did lose his last try for the presidency. They can’t get by the fact that inflation was caused by the Covid epidemic as is readily apparent that every major country, whether led by a leader who is a conservative or liberal, had a terrible bout with inflation.
In contrast to this large minority of fellow Americans, other voters, although recognizing the serious problems our country is facing, can get past their frustration, and see that Democrats are just as unhappy with the cost at the supermarkets, and well recognize that when so many people are racing across our borders illegally that this creates real problems in communities already struggling to carry out basic services. However, people who are supporting Harris recognize, as well, that the blame game, by itself, is not going to fix our country’s various problems.
Finally, I would explain that whenever Trump puts forth a real practical proposal for addressing a problem, I am eager to respond to these. We don’t need a fake debate in which all we get, for ninety minutes, Trump’s name calling, lies and claims he can fix major problems in 24 hours. 
Let Trump make his case to the voters for any reasonable proposal, and we will promptly provide our response. In this way, a real debate will occur–not a fake one that would be a total waste of time.
For example, Trump proposed recently that taxes on the wages of waiters and waitresses be eliminated. The revenues from those taxes will need to be made up in some other way, for they are used to keep Social Security afloat, pay for our military, and other vital programs. Trump claims that his “drill, baby drill” policy will so stimulate the economy there will be no loss in revenues. In a real debate, the Democrats could counter this by pointing to the fact that Trump made the same revenue losses claimed when he gave tax breaks for the superrich, but according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, those tax breaks led to an extra trillion dollars in national debt. The Democratic proposal, in contrast, also is calling for the same tax relief for waiters and waitresses but would make up the revenue losses by increasing taxes on people making over $400,000 per year.
Which of these proposals makes the best sense is the type of issue that is worthy of being respectfully debated, but there would be no time for this amidst all of the disrespectful insults, lies, and irrational claims that will be presented by Trump at the Harris-Trump debate.
I would do it, but in a way that would eventually drive him into a frenzy of rage, leaving him at a loss as to how to answer my questions, making the audience laughing at him and consider not voting for him.
Hi Roald,
What you desire to achieve in a debate with Trump is interesting. I’d like you to give us a few examples of questions you would pose to him that would leave him at a loss.
Jeff
OK. in a nutshell:
Normally when I want to drown such self-assured and arrogant ‘macho’-men in their own mud, I don’t enter into a discussion with them, but ask them questions based on what they are talking about during that ‘debate’ and claim to stand for. So from the start I give them all the space to tell their story. I just listen. After that my way of asking questions about what they have said, is following the trap method: I don’t come up with my own view on things and don’t give answers, but keep asking yet another question based on what they have answered me. So on, until they are completely stuck and in a rage. In between, I make things a bit chaotic by praising them about parts of their personality that they are proud of. And when I think the time is right, I also ask them what they like about me. In addition, at the most unexpected moments, I throw in a few questions about how they earn their money, their masculinity, whether their life partner trusts them and/or has an orgasm when they have sex, whether they will win a fight on the street, etc. Before the ‘debate’ I did of course some research to find a bit out about their possible ‘achilles heel’ and ‘siegfried back’.
Thanks for clarifying, Roald. It would be interesting to see this get played out in a debate between you and Trump..
Jeff
Eventually he would be forced to look behind his mirror and then he would cry and run away.
Well, you never know, maybe in contrast to the above he would have had some kind of catharsis and say goodbye to politics.
I am French, and I do not understand Americans. Why did you let Biden campaign when he has visible Parkinson’s? Why choose Trump when this man is a thug who does not stop at verbal threats but organizes an insurrection, cheats and lies in every possible way, and turns out to be a sexual predator. This guy is a public danger and deserves to spend some time in prison to calm down a little. Have the Republicans lost their minds?
Hi Luc,
I certainly empathize with your comment. The thing is, a significant number of voters in the U.S. don’t vote based on a well reasoned argument, but rather, as a result of strong emotions. There are voters that are angry with the border situation, voters that are angry at the prices at the supermarkets. and they angrily blame those who were in leadership positions when these challenges occurred. Trump expresses this anger, vigorously blames the same people these voters are blaming, and that’s enough for these voters to vote for Trump.
Jeff