Donald Trump wants to debate Kamala Harris... but only on his terms.
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Donald Trump is not afraid to debate Vice President Kamala Harris… as long as he gets to make all the rules.
Late on Friday night, the former president announced that he would back out of a previously scheduled debate because the agreed upon terms were no longer to his liking.
“I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website, adding that the event “will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined. The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!”
In other words, like a 10-year-old who agrees to a pick-up basketball game only if the hoop is lowered, his baskets count twice as much, and his opponent has to hop on one leg, Trump wants to meet Harris on the condition that he gets to set the date, host, venue, and rules. It would not be surprising if he would also try to handpick the audience.
It is particularly noteworthy that, based on his post, the former president seems to have negotiated the terms with Fox News and not with Harris’s team.
Fox News, of course, is the centerpiece of the MAGA movement’s propaganda arm, which is why it would not be surprising if it had conspired with Trump in this way to put pressure on the vice president.
What’s hilarious about this is that, earlier this week, the former president had castigated the network for daring to broadcast parts of a Harris rally and airing this ad from the Anti-Psychopath PAC, a group founded by Trump critic George Conway.
“We have to WIN WITHOUT FOX!” the former president concluded at the time.
Apparently not.
As it turns out, Trump realizes that he needs the network as much as it needs him.
Of course, what has changed since the first debate is the former president’s opponent… and Trump doesn’t like that at all.
In June, he faced President Joe Biden, whose terrible performance triggered events that ultimately caused him to drop out of the race.
Now, Trump has to go up against a more unfamiliar and capable foe in Harris.
And, while the former president was able to easily attack Biden’s age and mental acuity, he has not yet figured out how to handle the vice president… well, apart from resorting to take shots at her race.
Just how uncomfortable Trump is with his new opponent was evident in a second post on Friday night.
“As everyone knows, the Democrats have Unconstitutionally taken a Candidate, who was acknowledged to be defeated, and unceremoniously replaced him with a new Candidate. This has never been done before, and is a Threat to Democracy, but I am totally prepared to accept the results of this ‘coup,’ and replace Joe on the Debate stage with Crazy Kamala Harris,” Trump stated.
If you are wondering, a candidate withdrawing from a race before he has accepted a nomination or appeared on a ballot (or at any point, really) is exactly as “unconstitutional” as making coffee or yawning.
And Trump should really be more familiar with what an actual coup looks like since he is the only American president who has ever attempted one.
What all of this shows is that he and his campaign are flailing right now.
Harris has rejuvenated her party, and this newfound enthusiasm is not only reflected in the polls but has also allowed her to pull in an unprecedented fundraising haul in July.
It seems unlikely that a debate alone will change that… even if it is conducted entirely on Trump’s terms.
