Pelosi says Biden Shouldn’t Debate Trump: ‘I Wouldn’t Legitimize A Conversation With Him’

Speaker Pelosi told reporters on Thursday that she doesn’t think Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden should have any presidential debates with President Trump, saying she “wouldn’t legitimize a conversation” with Trump.

“I don’t think that there should be any debates,” Pelosi told reporters during her weekly press briefing. “I do not think that the President of the United States has comported himself in a way that resembles anybody has any association with truth, evidence, data, and facts.”

“I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with him, nor a debate in terms of the Presidency of the United States,” Pelosi added.

Pelosi continued her unhinged barrage of hatred towards the president, accusing Trump of having “no respect for the office,” or the “democratic process.”

“I think that he’ll probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency, he does that every day, but I think he will also belittle what the debates are supposed to be about,” Pelosi said. “They’re not to be about skulduggery on the part of someone who has no respect for the office he holds, much less the democratic process.”

The Speaker was asked whether Democrats and Republicans should be doing any in-person campaigning in the last 2 and a half months left of the election amid the coronavirus pandemic. While responding, Pelosi randomly brought up the debate issue, specifically the 2016 debate Trump had against former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. 

“I thought what he did in 2016 was disgraceful, stalking Hillary Clinton like that,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi suggested that both Trump and Biden should have “their own stage” and be given questions where they can have a conversation “about any subject” and “hold them accountable” instead of holding the highly anticipated presidential debate.

“If Joe Biden asks you what I thought about it, I don’t think he should dignify that conversation with Donald Trump. You ask him any questions — both of them,” Pelosi proposed. “Just take their own stage for any number of conversations about any subject, hold them accountable. What are they proposing? What is their vision? What is their knowledge? How are they going to get it done? How do they connect with the American people? Let that be a conversation with the American people, not an exercise in skulduggery.”

Pelosi’s remarks come as a majority of the Democratic Party fear of Biden would have a possible gaffe episode that could hurt his recent polling advantage or Trump unloading on the former Vice President with blistering attacks that be used against him until Election Day.

Shortly after the Speaker’s comment, Biden was asked during his MSNBC appearance if he was considering taking Pelosi’s advice and not debate.

“No. As long as the commission continues down the straight and narrow as they have, I’m going to debate him,” Biden said in response. “I’m going to debate him now. I know for certain, I’m going to be a fact-checker on the floor while I’m debating him.”

Biden added, “But look, at one thing that has gone on so far at the vast majority with notable exceptions of the news media have been fact-checking the things they have been saying during the convention, and it’s just one lie after another, lying, lying, lying, one after another. Look, I think everybody knows that this man has a somewhat pathological tendency not to tell the truth.”

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