After months of casting President Joe Biden as a shell of a man incapable of putting two sentences together, Donald Trump has changed his tune days before their first debate.
鈥淚 assume he鈥檚 going to be somebody that will be a worthy debater,鈥 the former president and presumptive Republican nominee said in an appearance on 鈥淭he All-In鈥 podcast last week.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to underestimate him," he added.
The changed rhetoric marks a dramatic shift from how Trump typically describes the man he will face in a rematch this November. At his rallies and in speeches, Trump typically casts the Democratic incumbent as a 鈥渓ow-IQ individual鈥 who is 鈥渢he worst, most incompetent, and most corrupt president鈥 in the nation鈥檚 history, and often imitates Biden appearing lost on stage.
The effort to adjust expectations ahead of Thursday's matchup in Atlanta comes amid concerns from some in his party that Trump has set the bar so low for Biden that he is sure to exceed it. And it underscores the stakes for both men in a race that has appeared largely static for months.
Millions are expected to tune in Thursday, offering a rare opportunity for both sides to try to gain momentum in a contest that will likely be decided by a small fraction of voters in a handful of battleground states.
Trump 鈥 who has never admitted he lost fairly to Biden in 2020 and continues to spread false and unproven theories about election fraud 鈥 may also be setting up a series of excuses in case he is outperformed by Biden.
鈥淢aybe I鈥檓 better off losing the debate," Trump quipped in an interview with Real America鈥檚 Voice earlier this month. 鈥淚鈥檒l make sure he stays. I鈥檒l lose the debate on purpose, maybe I鈥檒l do something like that.鈥
It鈥檚 not just Trump who has been talking up Biden. On Sunday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, one of Trump鈥檚 chief surrogates and a top vice presidential contender, pointed to the president鈥檚 experience on the debate stage.
鈥淭his guy has got the ability,鈥 he said on CNN鈥檚 鈥淪tate of the Union.鈥 鈥淲e have seen him in the State of the Union this year, that, when he needs to, he can step up.鈥
At the same time, Trump and his campaign have ramped up their attacks on the debate鈥檚 moderators, insisting the former president won鈥檛 be given a fair shake by CNN, which will be hosting the debate. Both campaigns accepted CNN's invitation after deciding to sidestep the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which had hosted debates for decades.鈥淚鈥檒l be debating three people instead of one half of a person,鈥 Trump said at a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, last week.
On Monday, one of the network鈥檚 hosts, Kasie Hunt, cut off Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and ended their segment after Leavitt attacked Jake Tapper, the anchor who will moderate along with Dana Bash, accusing him of being biased against Trump.
The episode 鈥渟hows that exactly what we鈥檙e saying is true, that CNN is not a friendly Trump network, and it won鈥檛 be friendly to him on Thursday night,鈥 Leavitt said after the incident on FOX Radio鈥檚 鈥淔OX Across America.鈥
CNN, in a statement, called Tapper and Bash 鈥渨ell-respected veteran journalists鈥 with 鈥渆xtensive experience moderating major political debates.鈥
"There are no two people better equipped to co-moderate a substantial and fact-based discussion and we look forward to the debate on June 27 in Atlanta,鈥 the network said in a statement.
During 鈥淭he All-In鈥 podcast interview, Trump repeatedly pointed to Biden鈥檚 vice presidential debate against Paul Ryan in 2012, then-GOP nominee Mitt Romney鈥檚 running mate.
鈥淲ell, all I can say is this: I watched him with Paul Ryan, and he destroyed Paul Ryan,鈥 said Trump. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 not underestimating him. I鈥檓 not underestimating him. It is what it is. We鈥檒l see what happens.鈥
Complimenting Biden at Ryan's expense also allows Trump to insult the former House speaker, who was an often uneasy ally when Trump was in the White House and has since spoken out repeatedly against the former president.
Trump has not completely abandoned his insults of Biden.
At a Saturday gathering of evangelical Christians in Washington, he again went after Biden in deeply personal terms, questioning his intellect. He鈥檚 even suggested that Biden would be drugged at the debate, an outlandish attack he also made without evidence during this year鈥檚 State of the Union address.
鈥淚 say he鈥檒l come out all jacked up, right? All jacked up," Trump told a rally crowd Saturday in Philadelphia.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, meanwhile, accused the media of helping to lower Biden鈥檚 expectations 鈥渟o low he gets a participation trophy simply for standing upright for 90 minutes" and questioned if 鈥淏iden can speak for himself without the overt participation and interference of two CNN moderators.鈥
Biden's campaign responded by accusing Trump of trying to "distract us from the reality of Thursday night 鈥 before a general election audience for the first time, Trump will have to answer for ripping away Americans鈥 freedoms, promising his billionaire donors tax cuts at the expense of the middle class, and threatening our very democracy with promises to rule as a dictator if he wins and violence if he loses," said spokesperson Ammar Moussa.
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