PopPolitics: Why Donald Trump Should Be Jumping at the Chance to Debate Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump has raised questions about the scheduling of general election 

presidential debates — but shouldn’t he be jumping at any chance for a 

one-on-one with Hillary Clinton?

Alan Schroeder, author of “Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign 

Trail” and a professor at Northeastern University, tells Variety‘s “PopPolitics” on 

SiriusXM that going into the first debate, Trump would have the benefit of “low 

expectations.” Clinton has the advantage of having participated in one-on-one 

debates.

“Nobody is going to be expecting much and he has the benefit of being the 

challenger,” Schroeder says.

Another advantage: His unpredictability.

“It makes it very hard for Clinton and her team to prep her, to know what she is 

walking into,” Schroeder says. “Candidates hate that — they like to have a 

very clear sense of what is going to unfold.”

The first debate will be on Sept. 26 at Hofstra University, but Trump already 

has raised some hackles about the scheduling of that date because it’s on the 

same night as an NFL game. He suggested that the Clinton campaign wanted 

to go up against a time period that would draw fewer viewers, even though 

the Commission on Presidential Debates scheduled the events last September.

Schroeder says that “it doesn’t make sense” that Trump would raise potential 

objections to participation given he is “10 points back in the national polls.” 

Usually, the candidate with the most to lose, a clear frontrunner, or 

would be the most reticent. The last time that there were fewer than three 

presidential debates in a general election campaign was in 1996, when 

President Bill Clinton and challenger Bob Dole faced off just twice.

Also: Mark Samels, executive producer of “American Experience,” offers insight on 

the marathon of presidential documentaries being aired this week and next, starting 

with “JFK” and ending with “George H.W. Bush“ on Aug. 18. He talks about what the 

modern presidents have in common, and why the filmmakers didn’t seek the 

participation of the subjects themselves.

Anthony York of Zignal Labs talks about data from the two weeks of 

political conventions. 

Trump’s ability to dominate news coverage, which may have helped him during the 

primaries, may not work so well in the general election.