While Donald Trump agrees that he wants to debate, if people let him set the rules, pick the moderators and chose the date, the truth is: That might not be enough.
Given half a chance, Donald Trump will decide that debate night is a lovely time to have a fundraiser for something something (it doesn’t really matter, he’ll keep the money anyway) and get Chachi and the RNC house band to join him at the nearest Trump-labeled facility.
Because, despite Trump’s bragging and the warm nostalgic glow that has settled over his bouts with Sad Jeb and Little Marco, the truth is Trump is miserable at debates.
Yes, Trump won the Republican primary, which featured plenty of debates. But it was largely in spite of his lackluster debate performances. We even looked at his performances from the first few debates and found he generally lost ground after them, while his opponents gained.
Trump's primary strategy was to be a ubiquitous presence in the media and run a largely policy-free campaign, and being on the debate stage with other Republicans worked against him on both counts.
Matched up against Clinton one-on-one to discuss policy, Trump will be about as effective as someone threading needles wearing an oven mitt. It’s not just Trump’s lack of knowledge and inability to put together a thought longer than “wall good”—it’s also a matter of the sub-millimeter thickness of his skin.
Clinton is a very studied and capable debater who will spend plenty of time figuring out ways to bait Trump in these contests. And it's not hard to see him getting drawn into all kinds of exchanges that reinforce his many established liabilities.
It’s easy to see the whole debate forming up as an exercise in rope-a-dope, with Trump swinging away wildly, while Clinton stalks, stalks, stalks, and lays him flat. In fact, it’s so easy to see this happening that the idea of Trump taking a powder is very real.
Trump has already laid the groundwork for declining the debates.
... Trump either skipped or threatened to skip 31 percent of the scheduled GOP debates — four out of 13. He clearly didn't like doing it. That hasn't changed.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Commission on Presidential Debates presents … a monologue, by Hillary Clinton.