Odds Biden Boycotts a Presidential Debate Set at +250
- There is a new political prop on whether Democratic challenger Joe Biden will boycott any of the three scheduled Presidential debates
- The first debate is slated for Sept. 29 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland
- Biden is heavily favored to participate in all three debates at odds of -360
At issue in today’s debate is whether Joe Biden will choose to participate in the upcoming Presidential debates.
The first of three scheduled debates is about three weeks away. A prop wager is asking whether or not Biden will opt to boycott any of the trio of showdowns with Republican incumbent Donald Trump.
The odds of Biden participating in all three debates are a short -360. The odds of the Democratic challenger boycotting one or more have been set at +250.
Odds Joe Biden Boycotts Any of the 2020 US Presidential Debates
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| No | -360 |
| Yes | +250 |
Odds as of Sept. 9th.
On average, across the leading sportsbooks, Biden has regained a -114 to -110 advantage over Trump in the latest 2020 Presidential election odds.
The Dates to Debate
The first of three scheduled 2020 Presidential debates is slated for Sept. 29 (9:00 pm ET) at the Health Education Campus (HEC) Samson Pavilion at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Chris Wallace of Fox News will serve as moderator.
The second debate is on tap Oct. 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida. CSPAN’s Steve Scully will moderate.
The final debate will go Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. NBC’s Kristen Welker will handle the moderating chores.
Biden Will Be There
Some members of the Democratic hierarchy, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, were suggesting that Biden shouldn’t debate Trump. Pelosi is off the opinion that Trump will be more interested in debasing Biden than debating the former Vice-President.
“I don’t think there should be any debate,” Pelosi said at a recent press conference. “I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with (Trump), nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States.”
It was a foolish notion from the outset and one that Biden never took under consideration.
Trump’s camp has sought to portray Biden, 77, as old and weak. They insist he’s hiding in his basement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Skipping the debates would play right into the Republican narrative.
Trump Unprepared?
Like a grade-school kid who waits to start a major assignment until the night before it’s due, Trump is evidently putting little thought or prep work into debating Biden.
Trump insiders are revealing that their man isn’t participating in mock debates in the same manner as he did in 2016 to get ready to face Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The risk to this is probably less "Trump flubs the debate" and more "Trump is on autopilot and says the same things he says in every rally and reminds everyone exactly how they usually feel about him, good or bad." https://t.co/4aHSKIrd8i
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) September 9, 2020
Instead, Trump is choosing to partake in informal discussions with close allies. He’s undergoing briefings delivered by top officials within his administration. They share pertinent topics likely to be discussed on the debate stage.
The worry is that the President is too cavalier and overconfident in his approach. He seems certain that Biden will commit one of the gaffes on stage that he’s grown infamous for and hand Trump easy debate victories.
People Favor Trump
As the debates draw nearer, public sentiment is that they will benefit Trump more than Biden.
USA TODAY/SUFFOLK POLL: More Americans predict Trump will win presidential debates than Biden by share of 47% to 41%
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) September 6, 2020
A USA Today/Suffolk University poll is showing that 47% of respondents believe that Trump will win the debates. Only 41% think Biden will emerge the winner.
Those who declared themselves as independents gave Trump an even wider edge. He was favored at 47%-37% to be the debate winner.
Regardless of the outcome, count on Biden showing up, ready to debate.
Pick: No (-360)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
