Chris Cuomo Says if Biden Flubs Debate with Trump He Could Withdraw |

IT'S GO TIME

Chris Cuomo isn't a fan of Presidential debates, dismissing them as pageantry -- but he says that's not the case with the face-off next week between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Cuomo was on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and his take is the debate will be a major test for Biden, not on policy issues but on cognition.

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The NewsNation anchor breaks it down like this: If Joe steps onto the debate stage and performs well, then Trump's gonna regret all those digs, like comparing him to cartoon characters and mocking his cognitive abilities.

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But, if Biden looks like "poo poo" -- Cuomo's words, not ours -- then it could change the trajectory of the upcoming Democratic Convention.

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CC says he knows JB's inclinations well -- and believes if he gets roughed up in the debate, he's going to have a "man in the mirror" moment -- asking himself if he should throw in the towel and step aside ... if it becomes clear he can't beat Trump.