‘He Knows That He Interrupted Too Much’: Haberman Says Trump Told Others He Blew 2020 Debate with Biden

CNN commentator Maggie Haberman revealed that Donald Trump has told his inner circle that he is aware he interrupted Joe Biden “too much” in their first debate in 2020.

Biden and Trump will debate on Thursday, June 27. The debate – the first of two scheduled so far – will be held by CNN and moderated by hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash .

In the first presidential debate in 2020, Trump interrupted Biden and moderator Chris Wallace more than 140 times . This time, the candidate who is not recognized to speak will have his microphone turned off.

Haberman appeared on Wednesday’s AC360 , telling Anderson Cooper that Trump and his aides are girding themselves for questions about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, among other topics.

She said Trump is shunning mock debates for now, and instead is holding policy briefings with Republican lawmakers.

“Did he do mock debates?” Cooper asked of Trump in previous campaigns. Haberman reminded the host that former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stood in for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. She added Trump considers debate prep to be “school,” but that he knows he needs to be prepared and not interrupt nearly as much:

Look, Trump doesn’t like prep. He considers it school. So, the fact that they’ve gotten him to do it this way is actually pretty revealing and also speaks to the fact that I think he knows that this has to go well for him. He has said to people multiple times that he knows that he interrupted too much in the first debate with Biden in 2020.

And having just rewatched that debate recently, it’s really striking. I mean, we all talked about it at the time, but Biden could barely get a word in edgewise and Biden was kind of smiling throughout as this was happening.

Watch above via CNN.