Tuesday night’s debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden was a hopeless mess — a national embarrassment. For 90 minutes, two cantankerous and incoherent old men ignored the rules, shouted over each other and ruined the event. Trump insulted Biden’s intelligence and his children. Biden told Trump to ‘shut up’ and called him ‘a clown’.
The debate may prove useful in one sense, however — as a foretaste of the democratic meltdown that is coming America’s way after the election on 3 November. Again, the rules of the contest will not be accepted, each side will accuse the other of cheating and the whole occasion will turn into a disastrous farce.
If you think that’s hyperbole, just listen to what our would-be leadership has been saying. A few weeks ago — centuries in 2020 time — Hillary Clinton offered an extraordinary piece of advice to her successor. ‘Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances,’ she said. ‘I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win — if we don’t give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is.’ She was referring not just to the election, but what could come after. Her scenario: election night is inconclusive, as postal votes flood in, and with them a debate about their legitimacy. It’s a debate she wants the Democrats to win. ‘We’ve got to have a massive legal operation,’ she said, ‘I know the Biden campaign is working on that.’
For his part, Donald Trump is also gearing up for this fight — and might sue his way back to the White House. ‘We have to be very careful with the ballots,’ he said. ‘That’s a whole big scam.’ A couple of weeks ago, he went even further, questioning not just the election’s legitimacy, but whether there would be a peaceful transfer of power afterwards.
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