“I don’t think he [Trump] sees the debates as the last inflection points, but potentially the most important,” said a source familiar with the results of the planning meeting. “I think he always thinks he can create an inflection point.

“But he has verbalized how important these are going to be,” the source added. “He’s said, ‘We gotta win. The press will never give me the credit for it, but the people will.'”

Team Trump doubts Biden will submit himself to any tough interviews before Election Day, so they view the debates as the only opportunity to batter him before a national audience, according to three sources involved in the internal discussions.

Key Trump advisers, including Miller and Christie, have cautioned Trump that Biden is actually a decent, experienced and relatively disciplined debater.