Brian Lerer on WNYC. Now Julian Zelizer, Princeton History Professor, CNN Political Analyst,

and as some of you know, a regular contributor to NPRs here and now. We'll talk to

Professor Zelizer about a few things. His recent commentaries on why Biden is eager to debate

Trump, Biden's challenge with younger voters, and why RFK Jr.'s brainworm actually suggests a broader

serious issue for campaigns in general, and we'll talk some about

100 years of Jimmy Carter. Carter would turn 100 years old this October, but his grandson, Jason

Carter, who runs the Carter Center, there in Georgia, said last week that the former president is,

quote, coming to the end. Julian Zelizer wrote a biography a few years ago,

called Jimmy Carter. Zellzer is also the author of other books, including its most recent, Myth, America.

Historians take on the biggest legends and lies about America, and earlier Abraham Joshua Heschel,

a life of radical amazement, among other books.

Professor Zelders are always good to have you on with us. Welcome back to WNYC.

Thank you. It's nice to be back with you. Let me start with the little news. You wrote that Biden is

eager to debate Trump, but the speculation until last week was that it might be in Biden's

interest not to debate him at all. Why do you think he's eager? Well, I think he wants to try to

reverse where a lot of the polls keep landing. And if he's more present on a visible stage that

debates provide, he'll be able to do that.

I think the campaign is thinking about early voting, and so forming impressions really

matters, and that's obviously difficult with an incumbent to change how people see you,

but a debate is still the best opportunity to do that.

And finally, he's an incumbent facing a kind of incumbent. So he doesn't control

the national conversation the way incumbents often do. And so I think all of this has led him

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