Trump Debate Tactics Comment From Chris Wallace Cracks Up CNN Panel

Donald Trump might just be taking a different approach to Thursday night’s (June 27) presidential debate. His camp has seemingly promised he will be “nice” and “respectful,” a statement that CNN pundits found laughable.

Chris Wallace, the former Fox News anchor who moderated the 2020 debate between Trump and Joe Biden, told the CNN panel what he’d heard from the Trump camp regarding the former president’s approach to the upcoming showdown.

“The question for tomorrow night is, has he learned his lesson?” Wallace said while appearing on CNN on Wednesday (June 26), referring to how many believe Trump’s performance in the 2020 debate is what ultimately lost him the election.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people in the top echelons of his staff. They say he finally understands how badly he did in the 2020 debate, and the two words that are coming out you don’t usually hear from the Trump camp are “nice” and “respectful.” He intends to be both,” Wallace shared.

CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel immediately burst into laughter while anchor Kaitlan Collins and fellow panelists Scott Jennings and Van Jones could hardly hold back their smiles.

(Skip to 0:55 seconds for Wallace’s comments)

6.26.24 915 pm ET CNN Anchor, Kaitlan Collins @kaitlancollins w/ In Alphabetical Order:

CNN Special Correspondent, Jamie Gangel @jamiegangel

CNN Senior Political Commentator, Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY

CNN Political Commentator, Van Jones @VanJones68

CNN Chief… pic.twitter.com/F2MGLJfBHr

— Jeff Storobinsky (@jeffstorobinsky) June 27, 2024

“No, I’m telling you… He very much intends not to make the same mistake,” Wallace continued. “And as far as Joe Biden is concerned, I think the key question is, are we gonna see the Joe Biden of old or the old Joe Biden?”

Related

'The View': Whoopi Goldberg 'Spits' After Saying Donald Trump's Name – Viewers React

Collins responded, “Those words, I mean ‘nice’ and ‘respectful,’ those were not uttered in the aftermath of that debate, and there’s a reason why. I mean, Trump interrupted Biden 145 times.”

“No, he interrupted Biden and me,” Wallace quipped. “He only interrupted Biden 79 times.”

“I think Mr. Nice may last for a couple of minutes, but that is not Donald Trump,” Gangel added. “I mean, Donald Trump gets up every morning, and it’s not if he’s going to have a fight; it’s who he’s going to have a fight with… I can’t imagine we’re gonna get through 90 minutes without Trump being Trump.”

Presidential Debate, Thursday, June 27, 9 p.m. ET, CNN