Trump just nixed the second debate. Mike Pence showed us why.

[Zorro]

Opinion by Greg Sargent

The massive illusion-manufacturing machine that has evolved into being to sustain the Cult of Trump is arguably devoted to propping up one mirage above all others: Coronavirus simply isn’t a problem worth worrying much about anymore, because it has been largely vanquished by President Trump’s stupendous and heroic leadership.

Anything that disrupts this illusion is unacceptable to Trump. Which might help explain why he just announced that he will not attend the second presidential debate on Oct. 15 against Joe Biden, now that it will be a virtual one, as the Commission on Presidential Debates has decided.

“That’s not acceptable to us,” Trump told Fox News just after that news broke. “I’m not gonna waste my time on a virtual debate.”

The truth of the matter is that a virtual debate would rupture the entire illusion that Trump’s reelection depends upon, simply by virtue of its very existence.

For many months now, Trump has required large swaths of the Republican Party to, alternately, either treat the coronavirus as no big deal, or acknowledge it as a fearsome foe, but only to the degree that this showcases how heroic his near-total triumph over it truly was.

But most voters don’t see it this way. New polling shows large majorities don’t believe the virus is under control and want more government action against it even if it holds back the economic recovery. Voters think Biden (who embodies that position) will better handle the virus by lopsided margins. Approval of Trump’s performance on it is in the toilet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/08/trump-just-nixed-second-debate-mike-pence-showed-us-why/

[AnnaLee]

1. I been wondering if the new October surprise couldn't go virtual.

Maybe Trump planned to lay a French kiss or something on Biden.

[louis-t]

2. Good, he won't be wasting our time, either.

[Turbineguy]

3. Maybe the debate would focus on "policy"

rather than "ME, ME, ME!

[volstork]

4. "how heroic his near-total triumph over it truly was"

...Until he drops dead in a week.