While I was drinking my coffee this morning, I started to think about what I would want to ask Donald Trump if I was moderating this presidential debate.
I came up with seven topics, and it is just my coffee list. They are not properly formulated into debate language, but this is actually how I start to develop my questions. I write down my thoughts on how I might ask it and then I research it, and bolster it, and fact-check all of it to make sure it is good to go.
Below is what I would ask Trump if I got the chance and what I believe he should, at least in part, be prepared for.
On Immigration
Mr. Trump, Joe Biden had a border bill endorsed by the Border Patrol and several conservative lawmakers and it was killed – allegedly, according to leadership – because you did not want to give Biden a victory in an election year. Isn’t this an example of what Kamala Harris claims is your focus on what is good for you, not the U.S.?
He is going to have to answer for that border bill because it is Kamala Harris’ only real argument. It was Sen. Mitch McConnell who said they did it because Trump didn’t want a victory for the other team in an election year. If you look at the bill, it is a mess and it gives the president the ability to remove all the reforms with a stroke of his pen. But no one is telling you that on the Republican side because they haven’t figured out how to short-form why they didn’t like it.
Donald Trump, you need a short-form on why they didn’t like it and what it actually did because you will get hit on that, if not by the moderators, then by Kamala Harris.
On Abortion
Mr. Trump, you think a six-week ban on abortion is too short a time for any woman seeking this procedure. Most Americans agree with you on this point. Why shouldn’t voters elect a president who will work to ensure that it is longer?
The argument is: Why shouldn’t they pick her? She is going to make sure we have six weeks and then some. That is one where I don’t think he is getting into the nitty gritty and probably shouldn’t. He should go back to, ‘It’s up to the states. I was speaking of what I would vote for in my particular state, but this is a federalist system.’
On Entitlement Programs
There should be a question about Medicare and Social Security because both are a hot mess and everybody is too chicken sh-t to tell us that. Whether it is Trump or Harris in November, they are going to have to do something on this issue. So, I would ask something like:
Medicare and Social Security are facing bankruptcy in as little as 10 years. You say you won’t touch them, which is a good political message but totally ignores the problem. How will you address the catastrophic shortfalls they will face if nothing is done?
I don’t know what he is going to say. Maybe, ‘We are going to generate so much income in GDP thanks to my policies that this won’t be an issue’? It would be interesting to hear.
On Tariffs
Mr. Trump, you proposed a 10 percent tariff on trade, potentially even across the board. Tariffs lead to increased taxes because the foreign country will pass the increased cost along to the consumers and/or will impose their own tariffs on our goods, which American farmers and manufacturers must then pay. How are Americans supposed to handle that kind of increased cost for families that are already struggling?
His tariff proposal is very controversial. The GOP of 20 years ago would never have dreamed of this. They were for free trade. This is more fair trade. It has been one of Trump’s key economic proposals, and I think he will defend it. I think it is one of the things he really does believe. And let’s not forget, he should mention China because he did impose tariffs on China that everyone said would make the world collapse, and yet Joe Biden has kept them all in place. That is where he should go.
On Personality
I will admit, this is more of a MK question because, as you know, I like to go to the place that hurts and I don’t care if it makes people not like me. I don’t see David Muir doing this, but in any event:
Mr. Trump, voters do not much like you. Your approval numbers have been and remain historically low. Americans are worried you will govern based on personal grievance. What assurances can you give them that you will not use the presidency as a score-settling vehicle?
I would love to hear what he would say.
On His Cabinet
This one is probably coming his way in some way, shape, or form:
Mr. Trump, virtually none of your cabinet – only four out of the 44 members – is voting for you. Mike Pence, your vice president, won’t even endorse you. Why shouldn’t voters follow the lead of those who have actually worked with you as president and are in the position to know you best professionally?
That is a fair question. Kamala Harris just released an ad on that very point, saying 91 percent of his cabinet is against him. Let’s hear what Trump says. He can’t say they are all losers because he hired them. I think he would go with, ‘It was my first time in the swamp. I was advised by swamp monsters and RINOS, and this time I’ll know better.’
On the 2020 Election
I really think this one should be asked, and I would 100 percent ask this:
Mr. Trump, after all the denials, the lawsuits, January 6, the impeachment, your refusal to go to Mr. Biden’s inauguration, and more, you recently – quietly on a podcast – admitted that you did lose the 2020 election “by a whisker.” Will you now admit before this audience that you lost and that your earlier claims to the contrary were wrong?
They should ask that question because Trump did say that the other day and we saw some on the far-right lose their minds. They were like, ‘Well, what was it all for if you admit you lost?’ There are many Republicans who will not admit that to this day. I like the way it would box Trump into where he would either have to say, ‘Yes, I lost’ or to revive the stolen election claims that the moderate voters and the swing states don’t like.
The Role of Moderator
As a questioner, I like when questions put the candidates in tricky spots that are hard to get out of. Why? Because I’m there to serve you. I am there to raise all their bullsh-t and then let them deal with it so you can see how they deal with it.
But of course, unlike the moderators tonight, I would be doing that to both sides. I would have very tricky, tough, difficult questions for Kamala Harris too. My prediction is the toughest questions will come for Trump – if they ask tough questions at all.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 882 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.