But Alan Schroeder, a professor at Northeastern University who has written extensively about campaign debates believes candidates tempted by a joust with Trump will be wary.

“I don’t think theres a magic bullet here,” he said. “ I don’t think there’s a recipe for dealing with Donald Trump because he’s so unpredictable.

Schroeder added: “Trump has some things that make him unique. Some of that is personality based, but also in his experience – he’s not just a businessman but also a television personality and all of that experience will be useful for this kind of format.”

The Guardian