Text DEBATE to 515-457-1026 to watch the debate between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Local 5 News: It is one of the most highly-anticipated presidential debates in history.
President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will meet on the debate stage tonight in Ohio and a lot of Iowans and Americans and those around the world will be watching.
We've got to have the best political minds in the state of Iowa to share what they've been watching for. Craig Robinson, a Republican strategist here in the state and Pete D'Alessandro, a Democratic analyst join us now. Thanks to both of you for being here.
Craig ... Do you expect the President to be on the defensive at all tonight about the new tax information and debt information as reported by the New York Times?
Craig Robinson, The Iowa Republican: I think a little bit, but I expect Trump to be on the offensive tonight. I think that he's gonna want to kind of set the stage and be the aggressor in this debate.
He's also, according to the polls, he's trailing. So I think he's gonna take ... they can ask him questions about that. But I think it's where he goes with those and what he does. The best way to do would be to answer it move on. I think that's what we'll see from the president.
Local 5; Alright, he does kind of tend to make his own rules during debates.
Pete, given the president's frequent questioning about Joe Biden's stamina, and you know, even his mental clarity, the president continues to bring it up.
Is the candidate going to have to answer all of those questions tonight?
Pete D'Alessandro: I think you answer those questions with your performance. You know, if you're talking about stamina ... if you're talking about whether someone is able to give and take as you would expect a candidate and a president to do just by performing well, you answer the question.
So I don't think you have to answer him specifically. You just have to do well. And I think that's what the goal will be for the Biden folks.
Local 5: Yeah, nothing would would be better for him than just a good, solid showing tonight.
Craig, you mentioned the president's approach. Do you think he will follow any rules of the debate or even rules of conduct for that matter, tonight?
Robinson: He'll follow his own rules. We've seen this before, especially in these in Republican primary debates back in 2016. I mean, it was like the Wild Wild West.
I mean, we're used to these very civilized presidential debates. You know, I think maybe Trump will want to get under Biden's skin a little bit and and have some back and forth. And I think that's why everyone's tuning in to watch this tonight. No one knows what to expect because I think that's just who Donald Trump is.
And so this is much-see TV and, in an election where we haven't had real campaigning going on, these three debates are going to be critical I think in helping make up the minds of these undecided voters.
Local 5: And Pete, the the point is made there ... this is a highly-anticipated debate. People kind of expect these two to go at it.
Joe Biden is no shrinking violet. Do you spend expect him to very strongly stand up to the president try and talk him right back down?
D'Alessandro: Yeah, I think if you look at Joe Biden's past, he's actually done very well. I think there are some Democrats and maybe even Republicans that will tell you that really, he turned the whole thing around in 2012 after a pretty poor performance by the president. He had a really good performance in the VP debate that year.
I think where this vehicle could be really key for him is specifically to what's going on this year. I think a lot of people are looking for empathy. And that's one thing that whether you ideologically agree with him or not, he is really good at being very natural about that, and conveying empathy. And I think that's something to look forward to tonight, in terms of the questioning and whether he's able to pivot in such a way that he can show that. Because if he does, it's going to be a pretty good night for him.
Local 5: And with Iowa, specifically in mind, Craig, you know, it seems like at least the polls that I've been watching that Biden has been creeping closer and closer to Trump as we get closer to time to vote.
Do Republicans feel like this is still Trump country tonight? Or is this still very much up in the air?
Robinson: Well, look, Iowa has always been a purple state in presidential years. So you know, I think, you know, 2016 was a surprise when Trump won it by nine points. This is always a battleground.
And if you look at all the congressional races going on underneath this, on the ballot, everyone knew you're gonna have to fight for it if you want to win the state of Iowa. So we're still very purple.