川普陣營這幾天陷入尷尬滑稽的境地。過去幾個月，川普的團隊一直攻擊拜登認知有問題，說拜登老年癡呆，“low-IQ individual”，兩句話都將不完整，散布經編輯的假視頻，顯示拜登如何癡呆。這等於降低了公眾對拜登辯論表現的期待值，降低了拜登的門欄。這幾天川普恐慌，改口了。川普說，他觀看了拜登當年作為副總統候選人和Paul Ryan的辯論，拜登如何摧毀了Paul Ryan，說他不會低估拜登。
“Well, all I can say is this: I watched him with Paul Ryan, and he destroyed Paul Ryan,” said Trump. “So I’m not underestimating him. I’m not underestimating him. It is what it is. We’ll see what happens.”
川普的可能的副總統候選人，北卡州長 Doug Burgum 說，我們看到拜登今年在國情谘文的表現（當時拜登談笑風生，冷靜對待共和黨議員MTG的鬧場），需要的時候，他會挺身而出。 “This guy has got the ability,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We have seen him in the State of the Union this year, that, when he needs to, he can step up.”
在2016 和2020總統大選年，每次辯論後，川普的民調就下降。2020年，川普找借口，回避了第二場線上辯論。
川普團隊已經開始為這次可能川普輸了辯論找借口：這幾天他們散布陰謀論，說如果拜登表現好，是因為他會吸毒，因為CNN主持人偏向他。並散布謠言，說這幾天拜登躲在戴維營，不是為了準備辯論，而是為了測試哪種藥物好。
川普自己聲稱，有可能他故意在辯論中輸給拜登，讓拜登繼續留在競選活動中。
“Maybe I’m better off losing the debate," Trump quipped in an interview with Real America’s Voice earlier this month. “I’ll make sure he stays. I’ll lose the debate on purpose, maybe I’ll do something like that.”
