As Biden and Trump Square Off in Their First Debate, Let’s Revisit Why Trump Won the 2016 Showdowns

Bannon’s MAGA Cred •RFK Jr.’s Pets • Lara Trump’s Take [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( As Biden and Trump Square Off in Their First Debate, Let’s Revisit Why Trump Won the 2016 Showdowns It’s Friday and we’re less than a week out from Joe Biden and Donald Trump squaring off on CNN. In preparing for the big night, David Friend [urges]( Biden to revisit Trump’s “off-the-rails” 2016 debate performances, in which the reality TV star was able “to parse the truth and make up facts on the fly, behavior that proved especially effective when courting a public with a compromised rumor-immune system.” Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t make [the cut]( for the debate stage, but he is making news for his unusual pets: Bess Levin [writes]( that the independent candidate once lived with an emu that regularly attacked his wife, Cheryl Hines, and now feeds meat scraps to a pair of pet ravens. Plus, on this week’s Inside the Hive, Brian Stelter [speaks]( with MAGA-watchers Isaac Arnsdorf, of The Washington Post and Puck’s Tina Nguyen. They discuss how Steve Bannon has been instrumental in Trump’s resurgence after January 6 and why prison time could give the War Room host more clout with the right-wing movement. Thanks for reading. [Image may contain: Donald Trump, Paparazzi, Person, Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie, Adult, Electronics, and Mobile Phone]( [As Biden and Trump Square Off in Their First Debate, Let’s Revisit Why Trump Won the 2016 Showdowns]( By [David Friend]( [In an excerpt from his book The Naughty Nineties, David Friend describes how the reality TV star shined in 31—count them!—debates, town halls, and forums.]( [Read more button](   [How Prison Time Could Burnish Steve Bannon’s MAGA Cred: “It’s Amazing Clout”]( By [Brian Stelter]( [Puck national correspondent Tina Nguyen and Washington Post national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf also discuss the significance of Bannon’s War Room podcast, which they argue has made him an “indispensable voice” for Donald Trump.]( [Read more button](   [Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Once Lived With an Emu Who Regularly Attacked His Wife (Now He Just Has Pet Ravens He Feeds Meat Scraps and Yells “Caw! Caw!” To)]( By [Bess Levin]( [Brain worm, meet emu.]( [Read more button](   [Lara Trump Says It “Doesn’t Matter” If Her Father-in-Law Is in Prison During the Republican National Convention]( By [Bess Levin]( [The RNC will nominate him from the big house if it has to.]( [Read more button](   [From the Archive: “We’re Gonna Smoke This F--ker Out”: Inside Steve Bannon’s MAGA Mutiny That Brought McCarthy’s House Down]( By [Isaac Arnsdorf]( [In his new book, Finish What We Started, Isaac Arnsdorf witnesses the War Room host scheming with Matt Gaetz and planning a ground campaign for 2024 (and beyond).]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast