Former Clinton press secretary Lockhart tells Biden 'don't debate Trump'

Former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart is urging Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to not debate President Trump, suggesting the president won’t follow the rules or speak the truth.

Lockhart, a press secretary in the Clinton administration, made his argument last week in a op-ed in CNN.com 

The July 28 op-ed titled “Joe Biden could still lose this election” offers six tips for Biden including one that reads: “Whatever you do, don't debate Trump.” 

“Trump has now made more than 20,000 misleading or false statements according to the Washington Post,” Lockhart writes. “It's a fool's errand to enter the ring with someone who can't follow the rules or the truth. Biden will undoubtedly take heat from Republicans and the media for skipping the debates. But it's worth the risk as trying to debate someone incapable of telling the truth is an impossible contest to win.”

There are now three presidential debates scheduled: 

• Sept. 29 at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland. 
• Oct. 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami 
• Oct. 22 at Belmont University, in Nashville, Tennessee