VP frontrunner JD Vance urges Donald Trump to use a secret weapon in his debate with Biden, even as he warns that a 'biased' format and medications will help 81-year-old president

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Vice presidential frontrunner J.D. Vance has some advice for Donald Trump ahead of the first debate on Thursday: Show your heart.

'He loves families. He sort of just likes people,' the Ohio senator told Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on his podcast.

'And I think if we can get that to sort of shine through, then that's going to help him more than any like particular policy debating point.'

But at the same time, he followed other Trump loyalists in warning that a Trump victory was not guaranteed, playing down expectations and warning that CNN hosts, the absence of a studio audience and the use of medications could all help President Joe Biden.

It marks a significant change in tactics among Republicans who have long portrayed Biden as a feeble invalid incapable of coherent thought.

Sen. J.D. Vance urged former President Joe Biden to show his human side in Thursday's debate

Now they fear that even a modest performance by the 81-year-old could surprise viewers and give him a lift in the polls.

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Vance followed Trump himself in talking up Biden's chances and trying to reset expectations. 

'Trump is a better debater, sure. He certainly has better ideas, he's able to communicate them much more effectively,' he said. 

'But we also have to realize the deck is fundamentally stacked against Trump in a very profound way for this debate.'

There will be no studio audience, he said, which would hobble Trump.

'There's no interaction and we know that Trump is much better at interacting with people than Biden. So that's a huge advantage to Biden,' he continued.

He also accused the moderators of being biased toward the Democratic president and claimed his campaign was negotiating to keep the two debaters seated (a claim denied repeatedly by the CNN hosts) to neutralize Trump's energy and imposing figure.  

'And then finally, Charlie, we have no idea what kind of medication they're going to give to Joe Biden. And you can't drug test the guy before the debate, and so they may very well be able to get the 90 best minutes that Joe Biden has,' he said, offering no evidence for the theory.

Vance has become one of Trump's most loyal defenders, catapulting himself into the reckoning for running mate.

Biden and Trump are due to face off in their first debate on Thursday night 

Biden and Trump with their wives after the first presidential debate of 2020

He is one of about eight possibles being vetted by Team Trump and is the pick of the MAGA base.

He said Trump could show a different side, his human side during the debate.

'That's one of the things I don't like about the fact that there's no audience there as you don't get that interplay,' he said. 

'But I do think that Trump can show his heart in the debate despite that ... and if he does, it'll be very effective. it'll resonate a lot.'

Aides have frequently advised Trump to show more of the human side they see behind the scenes. He has never taken that advice, sticking to a more pugilistic, cantankerous style.

The two will face off in Atlanta, Georgia, at a debate hosted by CNN and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. 

The agreed rules mean there'll be no audience and that microphones will be cut off when the other candidate is talking. 

However, a poll by J.L. Partners revealed that viewers have extremely low expectations for Biden, fueling fears in team Trump that anything short of a blowout win will in effect be a loss.

J.L. Partners polled 500 likely voters from June 10 to 11 and asked them what they expected to happen when Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off in their first presidential debate

So Trump allies have stopped joking that simply staying upright would be a victory for Biden.

Instead, they are now talking up his debate prowess or hinting that a strong performance could be down to chemical assistance.

'He's gonna be so pumped up. He's gonna be pumped up,' Trump, 78. told supporters at a rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday, before hinting that cocaine would be the secret to an energized performance. 

'You know all that stuff that was missing about a month ago from the White House? What happened?

'Somebody didn't pick up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine. I wonder who that could’ve been. I don't know. Actually, I think it was Joe.'