Anticipation is continuing to build as the first presidential debate of the election season kicks off this week.
Though many are expecting the Democrat president to face an uphill battle in the matchup against his predecessor, Biden insiders have hinted at an alternative strategy.
Biden aides are suggesting that he plans to come out aggressively swinging against President Donald Trump, right from the start, as Breitbart reports.
There has been much speculation as to how Biden plans to prepare for his debate rematch with Trump.
It is known that his team has allotted a great deal of time in the run-up to the debate for intensive preparation.
Breitbart noted that the White House declined to comment earlier this year about whether the president would utilize performance-enhancing pharmaceuticals before the Thursday night event.
Some pundits suggested Biden was pumped full of drugs before his State of the Union address.
It is known, however, that former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain set aside time from his schedule to assist with debate prep.
Biden and his team have spent the last few days at Camp David preparing and will remain there until the debate.
Officials speaking on behalf of the Biden campaign hinted that the president would engage in increasingly “punchier” repartee than some may expect.
Biden’s handlers are hoping the Democrat president will appear strong, confident, and energetic in the face of a bold challenge from Trump.
One such official explained:
“The president has gotten increasingly punchier in recent remarks about Trump and plans to carry that theme through to the debate, while still projecting himself as the wise and steady leader in contrast to Trump’s chaos and division.”
Trump has also offered some insight into his expectations for Thursday, as The Hill reports.
He touched on the subject during a weekend rally in Philadelphia.
Speaking about the format of the proceedings, to be hosted by a pair of CNN personalities without any audience present, Trump mused:
“There’s two [of] us and two of them – it’s like death.”
“This could be the most boring or it could be quite exciting, who knows?” Trump added.
Adding fuel to speculation about Biden’s potential use of medicinal aides to boost vigor on the night in question, Trump joked:
“A little before debate time, [Biden] gets a shot in the a**, and that’s – they want to strengthen him up.”
Earlier this year, Trump went so far as to suggest that Biden undergo a drug test in advance of the debate, as The Hill noted at the time.
“I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union, he was high as a kite,” Trump said.
Quips aside, however, Trump said he was taking nothing for granted, as ABC News reported last week.
“I assume he’s gonna be somebody that will be a worthy debater…I don’t want to underestimate him,” Trump said of Biden.
“All I can say is this, I watched him with Paul Ryan, and he destroyed Paul Ryan…[s]o I’m not underestimating him,” Trump added.
The stakes for Biden, however, could not be higher.
CNN contributor and liberal pundit Van Jones declared that any mistakes on the stage Thursday night would result in a declaration of “game over” for the president’s re-election hopes.
That pressure alone could cause the aging commander-in-chief to falter in an irrecoverable way.
