Trump and Biden have agreed to two televised presidential debates.  If Trump gets his way, there may be more, but do not shake hands in any of them.  Do not feign mutual regard, either before or after the verbal combat.

Given their mutual dislike, that would be incongruous.  It would be the height of hypocrisy and insincerity.  In Western culture (though Biden seems to underappreciate it), a handshake symbolizes such things as warmth, respect, unity, deal-making, and peace.  Clearly, there is none of that between the two, so don’t fake it.

During the debate(s), Trump will have to confront congenital liar Biden directly.  Or is he a pathological liar, lying just for the sake of it (like claiming that his uncle was consumed by cannibals, or whatever...)?

There are enough examples to support both definitions, as Biden is basically a political sociopath who abuses underlings while convincing low-information voters to keep him on the public dole his whole life.  Do not shake his hand.

A recent example is Biden’s bewildering mendacity in insisting — repeatedly — that inflation was 9% when he took office.  Even CNN, which will host the first debate, unveils the truth — it was actually 1.4%.  One hopes their chosen debate moderator, without being too intrusive, will also hold Biden’s feet to the fire (and Trump’s, though that’s likely a given, and unlikely as necessary).

During the debate, how does one assail a delusional dunce?  Trump won’t be able to take the soft (handshake) approach toward dealing with someone who denies reality.  That approach involves building rapport; establishing agreement on shared goals; then showing the other side the error of his ways, before gradually guiding him to intellectual honesty.  These are the sort of niceties that might be preceded by a “frenemy”-style handshake.

That won’t work with Biden, because he is not a frenemy — just an enemy, and of more and more Americans.  Do not shake his wobbly hand.

Biden’s leftist-cum-socialist goals are anti-business, anti-family, anti-choice, and anti-success.  In short, anti-American.  Besides, there’s just not enough time in a debate to overcome Biden’s backfire effect that protects his precious leftist ego and sense of liberal self-worth and belonging.  Some voters may yet be swayed by the inconvenient facts.  But there really is no point in trying to persuade the imbecile, nor in trying to be empathetic to change minds.  There is no point in shaking his hand.

There is no common ground between the two.  Biden wants to turn America into the Americas, preferably a banana republic; Trump wants to restore our republic — indeed, to Make America Great Again.  That’s a phrase that retains its significance as long as Biden reminds us of his penchant to “f--- things up,” per Barack Hussein Obama.

Instead, Trump will have to bluntly confront the denier-in-chief with the facts.  It will be gloves-off, so there really is no point in shaking hands before or even after.  That cringe-worthy gesture would be the height of insincerity.

Maybe a handshake would be appropriate before a septuagenarian vs. octogenarian steel cage match.  But this is a presidential debate that may go some way in deciding the fate of our republic.  A goodwill handshake cannot gloss over the ill will that Biden’s identity politics engenders.

Image: geralt via Pixabay, Pixabay License.