This is Nashville a few hours from the last debate 2:00
(CNN) -
After his abrasive performance in the September debate, President Donald Trump left the stage believing he had won.
It was only in the hours that followed, as he watched clips of his constant interruptions and angry behavior on television, that he recognized how bad his demeanor looked.
The president mostly shrugged, stating that his fans were excited for the show, but acknowledged that he might tune in again during the next showdown.
What was supposed to be a second debate was dropped.
On Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, Trump addressed his final meeting with former Vice President Joe Biden, describing himself as "angry."
The president launches scattered attacks and shows little of the restraint that some of his advisers expect during what is seen as his last chance to change American views before the election.
Analysis |
Two words that explain why Donald Trump is losing in the face of the presidential election
Trump: because of the covid-19 I have to travel to ask for the vote 0:36
Trump, who is behind Biden in national polls but still within surprising range on several key battlefields, is under pressure to show voters that his erratic behavior and streak of bullying matter less than his accomplishments as president and so. which he says would be a disaster scenario if Biden wins.
His actions in the first debate and over the next three weeks have done little to hide those traits.
After refusing to condemn white supremacy and the far-right Proud Boys during the debate itself, it took Trump two days to explicitly say that he did not approve.
Trump has also refused to offer a similar condemnation of QAnon's online conspiracy, insisting only that his supporters overlap with his own.
advertising
His attacks on Biden's family during the first debate, and in particular his statements about Hunter Biden's battle with drug addiction, were poorly received.
But Trump has only accelerated his claims about the Biden family in the days since, an issue that Biden's advisers say they hope will surface again Thursday.
Trump, ready to fight the debate
Some opinions of citizens on the debate between Pence and Harris 3:07
Trump has not modified his caustic attacks on his Democratic rivals, the media or government health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Heading into the debate, Trump was apparently obsessed with a "60-minute" interview with CBS that he abruptly cut off earlier in the week, promising to reveal its contents ahead of Sunday's scheduled broadcast.
And he has little adjusted his schedule or messages to account for a further increase in coronavirus cases, even though his political woes are intrinsically linked to his failed handling of the pandemic.
Much of the questioning in the "60 Minutes" interview that angered the president centered on the crisis;
Trump has insisted that Americans are tired of hearing about the virus and ready to move on, despite the fact that almost every state is seeing an increase in the case count.
Trump described himself on Monday as "competing in anger," and he has sounded particularly aggrieved as he rampages the electoral battlefields this week.
Furious that no more attention has been paid to the unsubstantiated claims about his rival's family, Trump has pressured his attorney general to investigate.
He has also denied that his campaign is experiencing financial problems, even though a recent filing showed he has less than half of Biden's cash and continues to headline fundraising events less than two weeks before the election.
How Trump's frustration over the state of the race, which he insists he still has a good chance of winning, plays out in Thursday's debate is still unclear.
After announcing that they would adjust the debate format after last month's disastrous experience, the only modification unveiled by the Committee on Presidential Debates was to mute each candidate's microphone during their rival's 2-minute opening response at the beginning. of each topic.
Trump and his campaign have criticized the change.
It is not known for sure if they really prevent Trump from interrupting;
the president hardly needs a microphone to talk about Biden.
"I think the silence is very unfair," Trump told reporters on Wednesday as he left the White House for a campaign rally in North Carolina, then complained about the moderator and wondered why the debate did not focus on issues. outside.
But that's my life, he said, shrugging.
Meanwhile, the White House is after me.
Preparation for the debate
Although Trump said he is "preparing" for the debate, he did not plan extensive mock debate sessions before his second meeting with Biden, who by comparison has spent the entire week behind closed doors in Delaware preparing.
Still, Trump gets advice to calm himself down, people familiar with the matter said.
You have reviewed the discussion strategy with the advisors during meetings throughout the week.
Advisers have told Trump that Thursday's debate could be his last chance to reverse negative impressions about his behavior among women and older people, and he has been encouraged to appear less angry and even display a bit of humor. self-deprecating, which some of his advisers think is when he's most agreeable, said a person familiar with the matter.
Trump has seemed somewhat receptive to advice in meetings and has said he could try to interrupt less.
But he has maintained that he will not hold back if he believes the moderator, Kristen Welker of NBC News, is slandering him or treating him unfairly.
That has left some advisers without a good idea of what Thursday's debate will really look like.
Heading into the first debate, few expected Trump to be as angry as he did.
There are also fears that Trump will go too hard against Welker, which could only further erode his position with women.
Trump has a well-documented history of using degrading language toward black female reporters, including Welker, though he also congratulated her on a recent promotion.
Instead of mock debates, Trump spends the days leading up to the event on the road campaigning and participating in interviews.
You have said that the schedule provides you with a proper debate experience rather than formal practice debates.
What am I doing to prepare?
I'm doing this, ”he told reporters in Arizona on Monday while flying between campaign stops.
Go that way;
we do interviews with you.
This is like - I call this 'debate preparation'.
Actually, this is more difficult than a debate, if you want to know the truth.
Trump's debating practice sessions before his first meeting with Biden could hardly be described as a success.
He did not exhibit any of the tactics his advisers worked to prepare him, some of them said later.
His angry tone and constant interruptions fell far short of how his team suggested he behave.
A week later, more than half of the participants in the preparation sessions (including Trump) had contracted coronavirus.
This time, no lengthy mock debate sessions have been called, as Trump maintains a campaign program with many trips and conducts interviews from the White House.
While advisers have discussed the debate with the president while traveling and in meetings at the White House, and have raised potential questions with suggested answers, he is not expected to bring together the same team that prepared him for the first debate at the White House. .
After questions arose after the first debate about when Trump was tested for coronavirus, he said this week that he would be willing to take the test and release his results before Thursday's debate.
Presidential debate United States