The final presidential debate will also be the first since Hunter Biden’s emails have been in the news, an opportunity President Trump is unlikely to pass up.
Republicans are split over how much Trump should hammer Democratic challenger Joe Biden over his son’s overseas business dealings, even as a Washington Examiner/YouGov poll finds widespread skepticism of the former vice president’s comments on the issue outside the Democratic base.
Trump mentioned Hunter Biden in the first debate last month. “Hunter got thrown out of the military,” the president said. “He was thrown out, dishonorably discharged for cocaine use.” As the elder Biden tried to defend his son, Trump continued, “And he didn’t have a job until you became vice president. Once you became vice president, he made a fortune in Ukraine, in China, in Moscow, and various other places.”
Trump’s efforts to publicize Hunter Biden’s $50,000-a-month job with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was vice president and the Obama administration’s point man on Ukraine triggered an inquiry that resulted in his impeachment by the House. Democrats charged that Trump illegally held up military aid to Ukraine to try to force the country to investigate the Bidens and Burisma.
The story has taken on a new life after the New York Post obtained what are believed to be the younger Biden’s emails, including one message referring to a meeting between a Ukrainian businessman and the then vice president. Major social media platforms have tried to restrict sharing these reports, which has outraged Republicans who call it an illegal in-kind contribution to the Biden presidential campaign.
The Democratic nominee has denied any wrongdoing, and many of his supporters have dismissed the emails as Russian disinformation, which senior federal officials have disputed.
Trump has hoped to use shady Biden business dealings as a way to dent the former vice president’s public-spirited image and defuse some of his own negatives, in much the same way he did with Hillary and Bill Clinton’s foundation and her State Department emails.
“Due to the unconscionable media blackout of this story, many viewers will be hearing about these questions involving Hunter and Joe Biden for the first time,” said Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak. “The moderator is unlikely to even ask about this, so President Trump will need to press on this.”
But Republican operatives don’t want Trump to overdo it, especially since they think expressing a positive message on the economy and defending the administration’s response to the pandemic are more important to voters.
“This election will turn on three issues: COVID, the economy, and law and order,” said Republican strategist Bradley Blakeman. “The closing argument should be, who do you trust to get us back to work safely, get a vaccine, and keep us safe? Hunter Biden is an afterthought and should be the last thing to add with regard to trust and using government to enrich yourself.”
“More broadly, he needs to answer the questions on COVID and convince the public that we are turning the corner,” Mackowiak said of Trump. “He also must make the argument that he is the best person to rebuild the American economy.”
Some Republican insiders fear Trump will look too mean or aggressive if he spends too much time on Hunter Biden, especially since his opponent’s other son, Beau, died of brain cancer.
In the first debate, moderator Chris Wallace rebuked Trump for discussing these issues. “We’ve already been through this, I think the American people would rather hear about more substantial subjects,” he said.
“Look, here’s the deal. I want to talk about families and ethics. I don’t want to do that,” Biden said. “I mean, his family, we could talk about all night.” As Trump shot back that his children lost money due to their public service, Biden later added, addressing voters, “This is not about his family or my family. It’s about your family.”
The final debate may be one of Trump’s last opportunities to alter the dynamics of a race that has him trailing by nearly 8 points in the national polling averages but by a smaller margin in the top battleground states that will decide the Electoral College winner.
“The message for Trump should be to vote and take five people with you to the polls,” Blakeman said.
