Republicans are trying to defend Trump’s debate performance before the event even happens

As President Biden and President Trump prepare for Thursday’s debate, Republicans are trying to manage expectations for their presumptive nominee after years of highlighting the incumbent president’s physical and mental shortcomings.

Many are already attacking CNN ahead of time for the favor the network could potentially do for Mr. Biden. Others argue that the sitting president is actually an artsy debater who may be using performance-enhancing drugs to appear clearer.

Speaker Johnson Wednesday became the most powerful Republican in America trying to manage expectations.

“Everyone wants to know which Joe Biden will appear,” the speaker said. “It doesn’t matter if he drinks a whole gallon of energy drinks – he won’t be able to match the insight and willingness of Donald Trump… even if it’s a three-on-one situation. It is clear that the CNN moderators have shown open contempt for President Trump.”

One of Trump’s most committed allies in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, said Wednesday that the former president will be at a disadvantage when he appears before a liberal CNN panel.

“He’s going to hit a home run, but he’s walking into a trap,” she said on Steve Bannon’s podcast.

“He ends up in a rigged debate. He walks into an arena full of people who want to kill him,” she said, despite the fact there will be no audience present.

She then attacked debate moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, who had previously criticized Trump in the past.

For years, Republicans have emphasized what they maintain are the president’s apparent physical limitations and mental lapses, especially since Special Counsel Robert Hur published his report in February saying Mr. Biden was not worth prosecuting for keeping classified documents , because he would convince a jury that he was nothing more than an “older man with a bad memory.”

A former Wisconsin governor who himself debated Trump, Scott Walker, also said the press will help cover up any stumbles Mr Biden may make.

“I think all the media, or overwhelming amounts of media, are going to come out and say President Biden exceeded expectations. They’re going to talk about the energy he had, the well-rehearsed answers,” Mr. Walker said. “No matter how well-rehearsed the answers are, if Joe Biden can’t explain why prices have risen 20 percent during his presidency, he’s going to be in real trouble.”

One of the most debated issues is whether Biden would take performance-enhancing drugs ahead of the debate, which Republicans accused him of doing without evidence after he delivered an energetic State of the Union address earlier this year.

Congressman Ronny Jackson, who served three presidents as a White House physician, recently sent a letter to the Biden White House demanding that the commander in chief undergo a drug test before Thursday’s event.

“It is a terrible reality that I have to send a letter demanding that President Biden submit to a drug test ahead of this week’s debate. However, Americans are being left in the dark by a dishonest administration about what types of performance-enhancing drugs Biden is using for high-stakes events like the State of the Union,” Mr. Jackson wrote. “As a former physician to three U.S. presidents and as a member of Congress, I see it as my duty to do everything I can to hold this administration accountable, especially when it comes to a president’s fitness for office.”

The White House has so far declined to comment on the letter.

Trump himself is trying to help manage expectations for his debate. During an interview with the technology and business podcast “All-In,” Trump said Mr. Biden was a “worthy debater” who could hold his own. The former president said Biden’s 2012 debate with then-Republican vice presidential candidate Speaker Ryan is proof enough that the incumbent president will perform well on Thursday.

“He beat Paul Ryan pretty badly,” Trump said. “And I assume he will be someone who will be a worthy debater. I would say I don’t want to underestimate him.”