With Kamala Harris out of the race, voters were nevertheless anticipating a Donald Trump debate against Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden with some glee, provided the former veep did not resort to push-ups. According to the New York Times, however, the president has been telling advisers that he doesn’t trust the Commission on Presidential Debates, suggesting he might sit out 2020 debates altogether. During a recent press briefing, Trump’s advisers would not discuss the president’s debate strategy, with one top aide appearing to “wince” at the question and saying it was “not something advisers were prepared to discuss until next year,” the Times reported Thursday.

Trump hasn’t directly commented on the subject this time around, but during the 2016 cycle he repeatedly suggested that the debate format and moderators were biased against him in favor of Hillary Clinton. The former secretary of state dominated one-on-one debates, which Trump spent delivering memorably mockable lines (“No puppet, no puppet—you’re the puppet!”) and weirdly lurking behind his rival. As the Times notes, in the aftermath of each debate, Clinton received better performance reviews from a majority of voters. While people close to Trump told the Times his issue stems from “misgivings” about the debate commission, and his skepticism of potential moderators, it’s equally likely he’s wary of having to face his opponent head-on.

If Trump really does refuse to debate his opponent in 2020, he’d be breaking with yet another political tradition—albeit a relatively recent one. (Modern debates have their roots in the televised 1960 showdowns between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and have been a feature of presidential contests every cycle since 1976.) While debates give voters a chance to see two candidates head-to-head, they haven’t had a particularly dramatic impact on recent races; Trump went on to win the 2016 election, despite his lackluster performances.

Still, it’s in Trump’s interest to avoid allowing his future opponent the kind of polling bumps Clinton saw as he mounts a challenging reelection bid. And should he wish to explain away his reticence, his propaganda machine is already in place—Trump need only decry the debates as “rigged” for his base to take up the call and excuse him. Even floating the potential of skipping out to the Times is a strategic move: set expectations low, then outperform them just slightly. “Not doing any would not be strategically smart,” longtime Clinton adviser Philippe Reines told the Times. “He’ll bluff that he won’t do any with the goal of only having to do one.”

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