Trump’s Team Makes Bizarre Excuses Ahead of Debate: ‘He Can’t Control Himself’

During the pre-game analysis of Tuesday’s debate, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace and analyst John Heilemann highlighted unusual excuses from former President Donald Trump’s campaign before he even stepped on stage. Wallace noted that Trump’s advisers, in an interview with The New York Times, admitted they feared Trump might not be able to control himself during the debate—a surprising and candid admission from his own team.

Heilemann found the situation remarkable, calling it “one of the Trumpiest things I’ve ever heard.” He explained that most candidates, before a debate, try to lower expectations by praising their opponent’s abilities. “Any of the candidates that we’ve covered… they always do it. My rival, my opponent, is so good as a debater, is so brilliant, is so strong I will be lucky if I survive this debate, right?” Heilemann said, emphasizing how Trump’s approach differs.

Instead, Trump’s campaign took a different, more aggressive route by simultaneously attacking Vice President Kamala Harris and their own candidate. According to Heilemann, the Trump team admitted that Harris is “so stupid that Donald Trump won’t be able to contain his contempt for her.”

This bizarre strategy, Heilemann noted, involved blaming Trump’s potential misbehavior on Harris, while simultaneously insulting her. “Only Trump would try to explain away his bad behavior by blaming it on someone else… while they take a crap on her,” he said. “It just blows my mind. I’ve never seen anything like that before, but it is so Trumpy.”

Wallace added her own perspective, likening the campaign’s messaging to describing Trump as an “untrained male puppy who couldn’t help but pee on the fire hydrant.” She found it striking that the campaign was essentially trying to justify Trump’s potential outbursts by painting him as unable to control his reactions due to Harris’ perceived shortcomings.

Heilemann wrapped up the discussion by pointing out the absurdity of the Trump team’s strategy. “They really are trying to have it both ways,” he said, noting how the campaign was preparing excuses for Trump’s behavior while continuing to attack Harris. The commentators were left baffled by this unconventional tactic, finding it a uniquely “Trumpy” approach to pre-debate spin.