AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File
- Giuliani was given the wrong time for a debate prep session, per an upcoming book.
- He wanted Trump to use a more personal strategy in attacking Hunter Biden during the first debate.
- Aides "tricked" Giuliani by giving him a 2:00 p.m. meeting time instead of noon, the correct time.
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Last September, then-President Donald Trump sat down for the first in a series of prep sessions for the upcoming debates with then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
During the session, former GOP Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey played Biden, and Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway stood in for Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, who would be moderating the first debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Rudy Giuliani, who at the time was Trump's personal lawyer, also wanted to take part in the session.
However, he clashed with Christie and Conway over the president's approach in taking on Biden, to point where aides intentionally gave Giuliani the wrong start time for the next prep session, according to a forthcoming book by Washington Post reporters Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker.
While Christie suggested that Trump merely bring up Hunter Biden, the Democratic nominee's son, to throw him off course, Giuliani wanted the president to further discuss Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine.
Leonnig and Rucker detailed the situation in "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year," an early copy of which was obtained by Insider.
According to the book, the former New York City mayor's strategy was not well received by many in the room.
"Most of the other advisors found Giuliani's advice to be 'supremely unhelpful,' as one characterized his coaching tips for the president," the book said.
Giuliani sought to return to the next prep session on September 28, a day before the Cleveland debate, but there was a plan in place to tinker with his wishes.
"Aides told Giuliani they would be gathering at 2:00 p.m., though they were scheduled to start at noon. They had tricked Giuliani by giving him the wrong time," the book said.
When Giuliani finally arrived at the next debate prep, he was so late that he was only able to engage in the last 30 minutes of the session.
During the Cleveland debate, Trump adopted Giuliani's advice, relentlessly lodging personal attacks against Hunter Biden over his past substance abuse issues and attempting to link him to nefarious overseas business deals.
Biden brushed off the negative onslaught and quickly came to his son's defense.
"My son, like a lot of people [watching] at home, had a drug problem," he said. "He's overtaken it. He's fixed it. He's worked on it. And I'm proud of him. I'm proud of my son."
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