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Longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz advised President Biden and former President Trump to “let loose” to make a bigger impression on voters in the upcoming debate.
In an op-ed published Monday in the New York Times, Luntz explained what he was looking for in Thursday’s head-to-head on CNN, reflecting on his past observations of presidential debates. He said viewers want to see “passion, energy and even anger in serving the good of the country.”
“Just as (John) Kerry and (John) McCain will not be remembered, neither the restrained Mr. Trump nor the adult Mr. Biden will be remembered. “With so many issues at stake, both candidates must be liberal to make a lasting impression, but not in a way that could alienate key groups like suburban women or swing voters,” he wrote.
“In the end, what matters is not the facts, policies, or even the singular stances that Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump present in their debates. This is how voters feel,” Luntz said.
Biden and Trump have been preparing for their first debate since the 2020 election in recent days, with Biden hunkering down with aides at Camp David and Trump meeting with lawmakers to discuss policy areas.
Luntz, who moderates the focus group, wrote that the “biggest impact” the frontrunners can have in a debate is if they “attack each other in a defining way or undermine the political arguments each wants to make to the American people.”
Former President Reagan singled out key moments, such as asking, “Are we better off than we were four years ago?” Or what Trump said in 2016 when he told Hillary Clinton she “would be in jail” if he won, which could make “meaningful change.”
He also wrote that expectations about a candidate’s performance also influence how viewers view them.
“This week could potentially feature one of the most momentous debates since the Kennedy-Richard Nixon debate. Expectations are already high for President Trump, who dared to hold a debate at the time and place President Biden wanted. “It is very likely that President Trump will regret publicly objecting, and President Biden may also regret accepting the offer,” Luntz said.
