Debating The Antihero
How To Wreck Trump's Debate Night
Fights to the finish have a certain cinematic and visual appeal. The hero and the villain finally meet and grapple mightily in a contest of strength and wits; the hero triumphs and returns to his home village or kingdom, altered forever.
At the beginning of my career as a media consultant, I was on a long car ride from Tallahassee to Dothan, Alabama, to pitch a Senate Candidate with the great Bobby Goodman, a founder of the political ad business.
His son Adam and I ran the Florida outpost of the Goodman firm, and we’d done well building up a good reputation and book of business. Bob was one of the true greats of the business, a pioneer of political television, and this was my first time meeting him in person.
As we drove to Dothan (the campaign we were pitching is a truly deeply bonkers Southern Gothic story for another time), Bob talked about ads that tell a story with a hero, a villain, and a battle.
Being new to the company and new to Bob, I knew this was the Joseph Campbell cycle in a compressed form. Still, having watched Bob knock out a series of perfect 30-second TV ads on a manual typewriter earlier in the day, I thought, “Who the hell am I to educate him on this point?”
But his point that day, made as we whipped through rural Alabama, was correct.
People want a clean, crisp ending to every battle. They want the Big Bad to go down in flames.
Mr. President, you have a battle this Thursday with a villain of a character and danger that America has never seen before.
They want the hero on top and the villain dead, banished, destroyed, or humiliated. Hollywood loves this form deep in its fundamental core.
But since the 1970s, it has also loved an antihero to invert and transgress the form. Hans Gruber, Hannibal Lecter, Patrick Bateman, Tony Montana, and Derek Vinyard are charismatic antiheroes.
Donald Trump is America’s ultimate anti-hero.
A criminal. A rapist. A liar. A conman. A felon. A traitor. A cult leader. A man for whom the rules are meant to be broken and for whom dignity, probity, and civilized norms are scorned.
He revels in all those roles, and in every prior Presidential debate, he’s played it to the hilt, chewing every ounce of scenery and stalking the stage like a barely constrained wild animal. You handled him well in 2020.
This is not 2020.
You’re entering an arena with a man you’ve defeated in two prior debates, but this creature you face now is more desperate, deranged, and vicious than anyone imagines. Nothing is beneath him, and no attack will be off the table.
Every instinct inside you says to walk on that stage and be Presidential with a capital P. Every formal rule of debate training tells you to be dignified and restrained and to stick with the talking points.
For the love of God, Mr. President. Ignore those instincts.
Trump has set a trap for himself if you’ll spring it.
Queeg Him
I’m not certain anyone has used “Queeg” in its verb form, but here we are. The full exposure of Queeg’s madness came late in the film, as the men he attempted to have court-martialed for taking charge when his mania and indecision put their lives at risk is the case you’re making here.
Trump will react and react badly if you force him off his comfortable MAGA rally talking points. Never entertain his lurid and absurd fantasies on any topic.
Don’t deny them; ridicule them. The big frame here is, “Donald, that’s crazy. You need help.”
This is a moment to expose the millions of American voters in the center and center-right who are Trump-skeptical to a mental and moral choice: “This is your guy? This is what you want for four more years?”
From the beginning, Trump will try to assert many items from his Fall Big Lie collection. Mr. President, it’s not your job to refute the details of his madness.
It’s your job to ridicule him for spreading this insanity and asking America to believe it.
“Donald, you need help. I mean it. I feel bad for you.”
“Donald, is the election conspiracy in the room right now? Is it telling you to hurt yourself or others?”
“Donald, the stress is getting to you. We all see it. Even Fox is cutting off your interviews and speeches because they’re embarrassed by you.”
“Donald, I worry every day about making the lives of American families and workers better. You worry about sharks, batteries, and washing machines.”
“You’ve lied to yourself so long that you can’t tell the truth from your own b.s. It’s sad, but it’s never too late to get professional counseling.”
“Donald, it’s sad to see you so unhealthy and so mentally weak. I thought you were formidable in 2020, but I see a sick, sad old man across the stage tonight.”
“You know, Donald, most of the time, when people think God sent them, it wasn’t God talking, just mental illness.”
“This isn’t one of your rallies, Donald. This is just you, me, and the truth…and the truth is on my side.”
Take A Victory Lap
Trump failed. You won. Trump talked about building infrastructure. You’re the reigning modern champion of it. You do Big Things.
Don’t get stuck in the weeds over the names of the bills. You fixed his mess. You’re the guy who gets it done. He’s the guy who always fails.
Your staff already has the greatest hits collection for you, but you should deliver them all confidently and in contrast:
“I’ve had the most successful job-creating presidency in decades, Donald. It makes yours look weak and tiny by comparison.”
I give a damn about American workers and good wages, and I’m delivering both. You never could and never can.”
“You bragged about creating jobs, but Donald, I did it. We’re building the chip plants and steel mills you only talked about.”
“You bragged about factories that never got built with jobs that never showed up.”
“You failed on COVID. Donald, you’re the guy who gave us freezer trucks full of dead bodies and wanted us to inject bleach. I’m the guy who fixed it.”
“Donald, you talked about Infrastructure Week so often that it became a joke. I passed a real infrastructure bill, and most of your Republican allies like Mitch McConnell race to come to every ribbon cutting.”
“Inflation hit the world hard, but you act like you had nothing to do with it after you blew 8 trillion dollars — a lot of it on a tax cut billionaires didn’t need — so, Donald, the last thing Americans need from you is a lecture on inflation, debt, and deficits.”
“You’ve gone bankrupt 5 times, and another one is on the way. Thanks for your financial advice, but no thanks.”
Flip The Strength Script
Don’t just fight Trump on Ukraine, the border, and broader issues of security.
Ridicule him as a loser, a puppet of Putin, Kim, and every other half-ass dictator. Seize the rhetoric of strength and confidence.
You must frame him as weak, compromised, soft, and foolish.
Putin played him. Kim Jong Un laughed at him. Chairman Xi bought him off with patents, and Trump’s “trade war” only increased Chinese exports.
You’ve taken on the American mantle of national security; he dropped it. There are two big areas to address here: national security and immigration.
National Security
“Donald, you picked a side. You’re with Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and the worst of the worst. America, NATO, freedom, and democracy need a leader who loves all those things, and that’s me.”
“Donald, I knew Ronald Reagan. We disagreed on many things, but we agreed that a strong America is a safe America. He’d be ashamed of seeing you kowtow to a Russian dictator.”
“Donald, you never met a dictator you wouldn’t suck…up to.” (C’mon, you know that would be hilarious.”)
“Donald, I stand up to dictators. You kneel down to them.”
“Ukraine has never asked for anything but the weapons they need to defeat the illegal Russian invasion, and we know if you’d been in the White House, Russian tanks would have been in Kyiv.”
Immigration and the Border
“Donald, your own people admitted it. You’re the one keeping the border open and putting Americans at risk. My border bill would have locked it down.”
“I call you Don Coyote because you’re the best ally the drug cartels, human traffickers, and illegal border crossers ever had.”
“Donald, you getting a check from Mexico to build your wall is like your contractors getting a check from you. It’s a fantasy.”
Throw Chum In The GOP Water
Donald Trump’s opponents in the 2024 primary were slowly — then all at once — bested by his control of the MAGA primary base electorate, but their “betrayal” by running against him still grates on Trump like little else.
“Donald, you’re worried I’m going to criticize you tonight, and you’re right, but I’m not the first one to say you’re incompetent, corrupt, and should never hold the White House again. Folks in your own party like Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis made those points already.”
“Donald, even the people who desperately want to be your Vice President, like J.D. Vance and Elise Stefanik, have told the truth about you. It’s not pretty, man.”
“Donald, Nikki Haley was still getting 20% of the GOP vote from you after she’d been out of the race for two months. That must hurt.”
“House and Senate Republicans talk to me all the time, Donald, and I can tell you one thing: your own people would rather work with me than you. Some of them still care about getting the work done for the American people.”
“Whatever case I make against you is just a reminder that your own party made it first.”
"The Biden White House is persecuting me.”
Donald Trump’s persecution theme needs a swift deflating:
“Donald, you’re in court because of you, not me. I know you’re genetically incapable of taking responsibility, but look in the mirror, bud.”
“Donald, I’m the President of the United States. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. You’re a mid-level crook who just got busted for paying a porn star to save your election.”
“Donald, I’m the President of the United States, not your parole officer. Complain elsewhere.”
”Do you know how crazy you sound? If we had done anything like your paranoid fantasy, every reporter in America would have been up my tail. You might try that, but as we know, only one of us respects the rule of law, and it ain’t you, buddy.”
“Donald, with your conviction in New York, I’m worried about your campaign, man. You’re not allowed to associate with felons, so I know you’ll miss Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Steve Bannon running your strategy.”
“You stole the 2020 election from me.”
This is the lie Trump stokes more than any other on the campaign trail. It’s the center of his mythology and his madness.
“We beat you, Donald. You were a bad President, and America decided they’d had enough of you.”
“Donald, you know this gets you in trouble. All those people who tried to help you overthrow the 2020 election are still waiting for you to pay their legal bills.”
“Your friends at Fox News paid a big price for that lie, Donald, and I expect the American people are as sick of it as I am.”
“It’s only a weak man who can’t admit he lost a fair fight, Donald. And you lost. America won.”
“You got mad and sent a mob of people to the Capitol to try to overturn it. It’s disgusting. It’s un-American…but it’s what we expect from you.”
Hunter
Mr. President, your love of your son is one of your most commendable and generous traits. Millions of Americans have experienced the same kind of pain that addiction visits not only on the victim but also on the family. Hunter’s road to recovery has been hard and sometimes a burden we can’t imagine.
Donald Trump is pre-gaming that Hunter will be a central line of attack. He wants you hurt, angry, and defensive. Don’t fall for it.
Sure, give the rule of law answer if you must, but here’s my suggestion.
Get mad. Show the heat. Be human, real, and immediate.
“I’m sorry for you, Donald. You’ve had three wives, but it’s pretty obvious you’ve never loved anyone. That’s why you think it’s o.k. to attack another man’s family.”
“Donald, it’s embarrassing from a man who barely knows his own kids’ names to be attacking mine.
“You don’t know the first thing about being a father; you were banging a porn star while your third wife was home with your newborn son. I’m sure he’s as embarrassed by you as we are.”
“Donald, you let your daughter be around Jeffrey Epstein when you were best friends. I’m not getting lectured by you about how to raise kids.”
“The Youthful Vigor of Trump vs. the Decrepit Biden”
Trump’s demonic energy was his calling card in 2016 and to a lesser degree in 2020.
In the 2016 GOP primary, he constantly spoke of his energy, particularly in comparison to “Low Energy” Jeb Bush. Jeb, though smarter than a hundred Donald Trumps, couldn’t recover from the brain-breaking insult. In general, Trump worked hand-in-hand with a Fox-and-MAGA agitprop campaign to claim Hillary Clinton was on death’s door, knocking loudly, boasting almost daily about his stamina.
The moderators are going to ask questions about your age. You’ll face this attack from them and Trump. It’s inevitable. Own it and turn it.
Then, invite Trump to go a ride bike. It’s that simple.
“Donald, you’re worried about my health. Come to Delaware, and we’ll go for a ten-mile bike ride.” (The very thought of Trump on wheeled contrivance other than a golf cart or Rascal Scooter is hilarious, and Trump will not be able to process this one.)
“I’m 81. I’m old as hell. I get it. I’m not the man I was 20 years ago, but this country is full of people my age who still feel the call to work, help people, and stand up for those who have less and need someone to fight for them. I’m one of them.”
“My opponent is a weak man, weaker all the time. He’s fat. He’s unhealthy. He’s lived a life of fast food and indulging himself. He thinks exercise is riding a golf cart.”
“Old? You bet I am. I’m also more successful in making this a better country for Americans young and old than Donald will ever be.”
A Final Thought On Dobbs
The large elephant in this election is the Dobbs decision and its titanic impact on women voters. You don’t have to give the Planned Parenthood response for this one to work, Mr. President. Broaden the attack to encompass all Trump’s sins towards women, for they are legion.
“Donald, I know that given the way you treat and talk about women, millions of Americans dread having a daughter around men like you or a son who acts toward women like you.”
“Donald, you and I both know that your hand-picked Supreme Court and your pet Governors have taken away the rights and liberties of millions of American women. It’s not about abortion now. It’s about personal and religious freedom.”
“It’s about you and Mike Johnson deciding when, not if, you’ll impose Project 2025’s national abortion ban.”
You committed sexual assault, and you’re abusive to women, Donald. It’s not locker room talk; it’s a sickness. You need help.”
Please PLEASE send this to Biden’s debate preppers ASAP! Excellent, chock full of great ideas!
I am immediately sharing this on Facebook.
I hope that President Biden and his staff read it and take it to heart.