(Headline USA) Former CNN analyst Chris Cilizza admitted Monday that the network’s rules for next week’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump only benefit Biden, the Daily Caller reported.
CNN announced the finalized rules for the June 27 debate on Saturday. They include muted microphones, commercial breaks, no live audience, no opening statements and no use of pre-written notes.
Though the last rule might hinder Biden, who has become heavily dependent on his note cards and cheat sheets during public events, the rest will only help him, according to Cilizza.
“From a ‘Who does this benefit?’ perspective, it clearly benefits Biden,” he said.
The leftist then sheepishly sought to justify the rigged rules by suggesting that without them Biden would have no opportunity to speek. In fairness, both candidates bickered over top of each other in one of the 2020 debates, while Trump was stricken with COVID-19 in the other and offered a substandard performance.
“If you go back and look at the debates they had— they had two in 2020 between Biden and Trump—Trump just talks and talks and talks and talks, and that’s true in 2016, too,” Cilizza claimed. “I do think it helps Biden, because I think Trump just tries to get you off your pace, off your rhythm, off your game just by talking and talking and talking.”
CNN’s two commercial breaks could also help Biden, Cilizza noted, though the network has said neither candidate will be allowed to meet with their campaign staff during the breaks.
“This probably benefits Biden a little bit just because he gets a little time to regroup,” Cillizza admitted. “I do think he struggles more with these live performance kind-of-things than does Trump. I think he benefits from a little breather within.”
The lack of an in-studio audience is the biggest win for Biden, according to Cilizza, because Trump thrives on the energy of a crowd.
Ultimately, Cilizza said he was “surprised” Trump’s team agreed to the terms of the debate.
For his part, however, Trump said he was willing to debate Biden however and whenever the Democratic candidate wants.
“It is important for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate issues that are so vital to American, and the American people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last month. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!”
