Debate memo

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To:       VPOTUS
From:  Steve Schmidt
Re:       Debate/kicking Trump’s ass

Soon you will walk onto an empty television set and face off against Donald Trump, who will be standing a few feet away. Even though his appearance will be familiar, it will still be shocking in real life. Trump is a cartoon figure come to life. He is a puff of ludicrousness up top, affected scowl, schlubby suit, too-long tie, orange tint and weeble-wobble body that can’t conceivably be real, but is.

Take a breath and center yourself in this moment. This is your moment. Appreciate it. Have gratitude for it, and welcome the immense responsibility at hand that you will meet because history and your destiny require that you meet it. You will.

Your life has brought you to this singular moment during which you will face off against a man that Speaker Pelosi has called a domestic enemy, and about whom Vice President Dick Cheney said:

In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.

He is.

This will be the most-watched political event in American history. The man you will be debating is much more than an adjudicated rapist and convicted felon. He is a fascist, a demagogue, a narcissist, and a singular threat to the stability of American society and the American way of life.

His movement teems with Nazi apologists and religious extremists who believe women shouldn’t work and have no role outside of raising children for the purpose of defending the state and civilization from a vast conspiracy of “them’s” and “they’s.” It is a malicious ideology, and it isn’t new. Remember, Donald Trump carries all of Bull Conner’s hopes and dreams on his shoulders.

Trump is a bully, a liar and a bloviator who can’t stand being challenged and very rarely is. His wall of sycophants is rarely breached and his contact with reality is de minimis. Trump exists in a state of constant grievance and anger. When he tells stories referring to himself as “Sir,” it is a big tell. This a self-serious man with no sense of humor, who cannot stand being diminished in any way. Laugh at him. Look at him like he is crazy. Work with your nieces. Let them tell you when you hit the best “there is something wrong with you” look. You’ll need it. The split screen matters. The right mix of revulsion, scientific interest, quizzical searching and contempt will all need to be displayed appropriately and deservedly. Treat him like the weirdo he well and truly is.

Attack MAGA, and make Trump defend something bigger than himself. Strike at his connection to Tucker Carlson and Nazi extremists. At the first opportunity look at Trump and say:

I want to give you an opportunity to address something. You can have a bit of my time if you need it. Your good friend Tucker Carlson, who sat in your box and was a star speaker at your convention, just sat down and helped spread the message of a Holocaust denier who said that Churchill was the greatest villain of World War II.  Your boy Tucker said he was the best historian in America. JD Vance, who we are going to talk about in a minute, is campaigning with Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones, who tortured the Newtown parents of murdered children.

I want you to condemn this evil, and if you won’t, I want to know why not. Why did you have dinner with a Nazi leader at Mar-a-Lago named Nick Fuentes? Why do all of these people support you, Donald?

(Also, do NOT address him as Mr. President. Mr. Trump is the best he gets.)

Make sure to mention that every single meeting you have had with any foreign leader over the last 3.5 years — whether friend or foe — has always begun with the shared connection of human amazement over Trump, with whom both sides shared a laugh before business started. More than anything else, remember that you are standing next to a buffoon, and America isn’t ready for another lap with an orange president.

There will be an opportunity to castigate Donald Trump for his desecration at Arlington National Cemetery. Do not debate him on this matter. Condemn him. Something like this:

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to express my deepest contempt for your recent travesties at Arlington National Cemetery, where you desecrated the sacrifices of America’s fallen — again. I think the conduct is despicable, and I think one of the best parts about defeating you in November will be in making sure you never again stand behind the presidential seal and embarrass the nation. The Office of President of the United States of America requires virtues, of which you have none, as well as grace, of which you have none, and dignity, of which you have none. You are an unworthy man who was an unworthy president. You betrayed these patriots across 250 years when you broke your oath and attacked the Constitution. By the way, will you be sending messages to any militia groups tonight?

The test at hand is about character, and you are about to be tested in a way that every hero in every American western has ever been tested.

You will stand alone and face off against an existential threat. You are the Pale Rider, William Munny, John Dutton, and every John Wayne character, ever. You are Odysseus from the “Iliad.” Kamala Harris for the People.

There is always a moment of doubt for every hero in every western. There is always a moment when the darkness must be faded and overcome. Always, there is a moment when the odds seem impossible, the task improbable, and the result far from certain.

Embrace the drama. Command it. Trump at his core is a purveyor and philosopher of “f@#k you-ism.” It is an empty calorie, but it feels good, tastes great, and there are no shortage of people who deserve one in a country where 40 percent of the population doesn’t have $400 for an emergency.  Healthy in this metaphor is offering something better, and the first step is retiring this era by retiring Trump. After that, let the age of common sense kick off the beginning of the generational change that the country needs and deserves. Never miss an opportunity to remind Donald of when he is misinformed, wrong, making things up, delusional, laughable, preposterous, poisonous or just plain idiotic. Watch an episode of “The Perfect Couple” — embrace the long eye contact. Helping Trump look shady isn’t a hard lift.

Lastly, there is a bit of a narrative taking hold in the great ether that shapes the contours of presidential debates. Where it germinates from who knows, but somewhere out there is an idea that you need to talk about “policy,” which is of course absurd because you are running against a AAA-certified imbecile who can’t speak in coherent paragraphs about anything. For the record, I think he is talking about your immigration policy here:

When I say Hannibal Lecter, the press says 'Oh why did he mention that? They say he rambled and started talking about Hannibal Lecter. What does that have to do with this? That's a representative of people that are coming into our country.

Here are the policies that matter in 2024:

1. Donald Trump stripped America’s women of control over their bodies, and believes birth control, in vitro fertilization and IUDs are something that JD Vance and Lindsey Graham should get a vote on.

2. Donald Trump doesn’t believe in the American election process, which is the freest and fairest in the world. He doesn’t believe in the peaceful transition of power that follows a decision by America’s citizens about who gets temporary power with great restraints for a four-year term. He broke the only promise that counts, which is to PRESERVE, PROTECT and DEFEND the US Constitution.

3. Donald Trump will weaken America by withdrawing from the most powerful military alliance in world history that has kept the peace in Europe for 80 years. His words make clear that he admires dictators and disdains our allies and partners. He will make war far more likely, and the world much more dangerous because weakness invites aggression. Trump is a brand that stands for weakness and American decay all over the world.

4. Donald Trump will crush the American middle class with a Trump tariff that will make inflation permanent and raise the cost of every single necessity of life, while crashing the economy. His economic plan is injecting bleach into the American economy. Stupid is the right word to describe it, but it doesn’t really do the scheme justice. Let’s just say it is the best decision by a Trump since Melania tore out the Rose Garden. By the way, there is definitely a lack of unity in our politics. Maybe you can use your connections to help look for Usha Vance? I hear she’s missing.

5. Donald Trump is the biggest and most reckless spender in American history. Ask him how much his plans to imprison his political opponents and enemies is going to cost?

Pretending that calls to discuss policy are on the level is like pretending a Trump degree is real, Trump wine is drinkable, Trump steaks edible, and JD Vance isn’t weird. Don’t do it. Reality is your friend.

Lastly, someone needs to tell Trump to stop threatening millions of people with being destroyed because they dared to oppose him. Someone needs to stand up and say, “Enough!” Someone needs to look him in the eye and finally tell him precisely what he is. That job has fallen to you. Take care of business.

When Harry Truman was summoned to the White House and history’s summons on April 12, 1945, it went down like this:

On that day, Truman received an urgent phone call. He returned immediately to the White House, and was met there by First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt stunned the World War I combat veteran and former US senator, who had been vice president for just 82 days. She said, “Harry, the president is dead.”

Harry Truman asked if there was anything he could do for her. She was steady. She answered, “No, Mr. President, is there anything that I can do for you?” Truman described the moment by saying, “I felt like the moon, the stars, and all of the planets had fallen on me.”

The test has arrived.

The world is watching, and what they are seeing is a magical alchemy. What they are seeing is the making of a president, and what a thing it is to watch.

Good luck, and as John McCain always liked to point out, quoting Chairman Mao, of course is to remember that “it is always darkest before it is black.”

Tomorrow when you go out there you won’t just have him cheering up there, and his worthy son down here, but also the Cheneys, hundreds of Romney and Bush alumni, and a lot of people who disagree with you on something, but see in you great promise and a worthy president.

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