President Biden did so badly in the first debate against former President Trump that it sent him into an unrecoverable tailspin, forcing Democratic Party elite to stage a coup an install Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee. But according to the attempted gaslighting from a largely anti-Trump panel during Tuesday’s CNN News Central, Trump didn’t actually win that first debate.
Amid a conversation about the Trump and Harris campaigns agreeing to the rules of the upcoming ABC debate, former Harris communications director turned CNN commentator Jamal Simmons ridiculously claimed that Trump was 0-1 for general election debates against Democrats:
Look, Trump right now is zero for one when it comes to debates. Right? He may think that he won that debate, but it might be that he actually lost the war because of that debate. Because after that debate Joe Biden left. And Joe Biden left, he ended up with Kamala Harris so he should be careful.
That assertion drew open laughter from CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings. “He literally ran a man who'd been in politics for 52 years out of his chosen profession over a debate,” he schooled Simmons. “I mean, look, I understand what you're arguing that you all traded in for a better candidate, but Trump won the debate.”
Simmons wouldn’t let the facts get in the way of his gaslighting. He went on to argue that Trump didn’t win the debate because he did so well that it forced Biden out and now he was running against his former employer:
And for right now Donald Trump may have tactically won the debate, but strategically, it may have cost him the entire election because he ended up with a much better candidate than the one he was gained aiming for. And he's probably now a couple of points behind.
CNN co-host Boris Sanchez stepped in not to fact-check Simmons but to give an opportunity to allow Never-Trump Republican Charlie Dent an opportunity to lend credence to his assertions:
Charlie. I'm curious from your perspective because Scott is presenting it a certain way. Obviously, Jamal is making the argument that he, you know, Trump may have won the battle but lost the war but this idea that Trump won the last debate based on his own answers, based on his own responses. How much do you think his success had to do with what happened to Joe Biden rather than his own ability to stay on message and to drive points home to the American people?
Dent admitted that “Joe Biden lost the debate” but added: “I don't know that Trump actually won it.” He went on to argue that it’s a step too far to acknowledge that Trump won the first debate:
I mean, it's not like he made a whole lot of great point. He got caught in a lot of lies and false statements. So, he didn't do himself any damage. He looked reasonably controlled, but I wouldn't go so far as to say Trump won. I'd say that Biden just lost miserably because he demonstrated to the public that he did not seem to be fit and was incapable of serving another four years fully. I think that was a real issue.
“So I wouldn't go so far as to say Trump won,” he concluded on the topic.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN News Central
August 27, 2024
3:07:03 p.m. Eastern(…)
BRIANNA KEILAR: She wants to show that he has an impulse control problem. And Jamal, I wonder what you think about this news when it comes to mics.
JAMAL SIMMONS: Well, first of all, we're taking Donald Trump's word for it, so I'm going to just take that with a grain of salt.
But let's assume that it's true. It might just be true that Harris campaign was trolling Trump, you know, looking for a way to get under his skin every day. And it does seem like if you pay attention to some of the social media that's out there, that they are really doing a very good job at just needling him every single day. They’re playing a lot of offense on this campaign. And that's the kind of thing that Democrats want to see and it’s kind of thing that, I think, ultimately –ultimately hurts Trump.
Look, Trump right now is zero for one when it comes to debates. Right? He may think that he won that debate, but it might be that he actually lost the war because of that debate.
[Laughter form Scott Jennings, puts hands over face]
Because after that debate Joe Biden left. And Joe Biden left, he ended up with Kamala Harris so he should be careful.
SCOTT JENNINGS: Zero for one, Jamal? Jamal, my brother and colleague, zero for – He literally ran a man who'd been in politics for 52 years out of his chosen profession over a debate. I mean, look, I understand what you're arguing that you all traded in for a better candidate, but Trump won the debate. [Laughter] He is not zero for one. Are you saying he actually did so well, that he did badly?
SIMMONS: But this is exactly the problem with campaign's. Very often people are focused on the minutiae of what it means in this attack or that attack. But the question is, are you wearing the fundamental argument? And for right now Donald Trump may have tactically won the debate, but strategically, it may have cost him the entire election because he ended up with a much better candidate than the one he was gained aiming for. And he's probably now a couple of points behind.
BORIS SANCHEZ: Charlie. I'm curious from your perspective because Scott is presenting it a certain way. Obviously, Jamal is making the argument that he, you know, Trump may have won the battle but lost the war but this idea that Trump won the last debate based on his own answers, based on his own responses. How much do you think his success had to do with what happened to Joe Biden rather than his own ability to stay on message and to drive points home to the American people?
CHARLIE DENT: Well at the time, I thought that Trump did not lose the debate. I thought Joe Biden lost the debate. I don't know that Trump actually won it. I mean, it's not like he made a whole lot of great point. He got caught in a lot of lies and false statements. So, he didn't do himself any damage. He looked reasonably controlled, but I wouldn't go so far as to say Trump won. I'd say that Biden just lost miserably because he demonstrated to the public that he did not seem to be fit and was incapable of serving another four years fully. I think that was a real issue. So I wouldn't go so far as to say Trump won.
(…)
