Dante De Blasio Helps Dad With Presidential Debate Prep

NEW YORK — Debating is a family affair. Mayor Bill de Blasio's son offered his dad some unconventional advice as he prepares for the first Democratic presidential debate this week.

In a series of text messages de Blasio's campaign posted to Twitter, Dante de Blasio suggested several ways that the mayor could distinguish himself from the nine other White House hopefuls he'll face in Miami on Wednesday.

"First of all, you're going to want to establish credibility, especially among skeptical young voters," the younger de Blasio wrote. "Tell the story of how you met mom while working as a yuong staffer at city hall and weave it into a reflection about how hard it is to find, like, 'the one' on tinder."

Dante went on to advise his dad to bring a litter of puppies onstage to "smother (his) foes," or say that New York City only encompassed Staten Island when he took office.

In response to the mayor's desire to make his presence felt, Dante recommended taking advantage of his height in a show of physical dominance.

"This one's a sure thing: Dunk," he wrote. "I'm thinking you enter the stage at a jog and do a Zion leap over the moderator to the rim. Total power move."

The texts were just the latest example of Dante's involvement in de Blasio's political campaigns. He appeared in a television ad during his father's 2013 mayoral campaign that was credited with helping de Blasio win the Democratic primary.

But the texts drew a wave of snarky replies on Twitter, with many commenters saying the exchange seemed staged.

"Please fire this staffer immediately," Ian Holmes tweeted.

"All that back and forth and NO substance. Typical @BilldeBlasio," Republican political consultant E. O'Brien Murray wrote.

De Blasio campaign spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie said the messages were "Dante’s real advice authored by him." The recent Yale University graduate has helped his dad prepare for debates in the past, as he won a 2015 state debate title while at Brooklyn Technical High School, Lapeyrolerie said.

The mayor's pre-debate regimen also includes "a mix of mock debate prep & drilling questions" run by campaign aides Steve Jarding and Jon Paul Lupo, the latter of whom won a national debate championship in 2000 while at Emory University, Lapeyrolerie said.

"We are excited that this Mayor has this opportunity to introduce himself and his record in New York City to a national audience," Lapeyrolerie said in an email.