White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday was quick to join President Trump in claiming victory during his first presidential debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, despite his off-the-rails performance that was widely and swiftly panned by the media.
Asked whether Trump believes he won the chaotic debate against Biden during an interview on Fox Business on Wednesday morning, McEnany replied “yes” and that the President was in “very good spirits” as he walked off the stage the night before.
McEnany touted that Trump — who repeatedly cut into Biden’s answers and constantly talked over moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace — “brought the fight that the American people wanted to see” by taking on the role of a reporter.
“The American people wanted to see the president question Joe Biden in a way that the media never does. He gets a pass,” McEnany said. “You’ve seen those softball questions. President Trump took on the role of both the media — what they should be doing — and a candidate sharing his record with the American people.”
When pressed on Trump’s unwieldy performance and whether his approach will change during upcoming debates against Biden, McEnany noted that the next debate set for Oct. 15 in Miami, Florida will be in a “much different format” because it’s a town hall where the President will be talking to voters.
“So by nature it will be a different format, a different tactic,” McEnany said, before going to defend Trump’s “offense style” by ripping Biden for not condemning antifa — which the former VP pointed out is “an idea” rather than an organization during the debate — and questioning whether he will pack the Supreme Court, which the former VP has demurred on when asked.
“Because the President was on offense, the American voter left that debate with a distinct answer and look at this former vice presidential candidate that they had not had previously,” McEnany said.
Watch McEnany’s remarks below:
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says Trump believes he won the debate pic.twitter.com/R45NKPVWhu
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) September 30, 2020
