A tentative plan for a presidential debate has been upended, former president Donald Trump announced. Instead, he will engage in a digital town hall early next month.
Previously, Fox News was going to host a September 4 debate between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. But her campaign recently rejected the invitation, leading the controversial Republican to announce via Truth Social that he has “agreed” to do a “Tele-Town Hall” that night “rather than the debate.”
This event will be held in Pennsylvania and run by Fox News host Sean Hannity. Trump is “not surprised” that Harris cancelled the debate, saying she would have a “very difficult” time trying to “defend her record” of “flip-flopping” on issues she “once believed in.”
The former president’s remarks are the latest insults of their kind to be hurled at Harris, who Trump previously called out the vice president for not having “done an interview” since becoming the nominee, describing her as “barely competent” and noting how debating her would “set the record straight.”
Harris has agreed to be involved in three debates before the upcoming November 5 election. On September 10, the two presidential candidates will debate in an event hosted by ABC News. However, the details of a second debate will not be considered by the Harris campaign until the first is complete. Additionally, both campaigns have agreed to an October 1 debate between GOP Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota—a vice-presidential debate.
Trump had previously agreed to suggested debates on September 4 and September 25, hosted by Fox News and NBC News, respectively, but the other side did not agree to finalize these events. Considering the recent and disastrous history of Democratic presidential debates, it’s understandable why the left-wing party is hesitant about sending their new nominee to the stage.
On June 27, Trump debated President Joe Biden in Atlanta, Georgia. The terms of the debate included the two candidates in a studio with a moderator but without an audience. It was originally scheduled to be the first of two debates with the candidates—the second having been set for September 10—but Democrats were prompted to change course.
During the debate, Biden spoke with a notably raspy voice that was attributed to a cold. But his tone wasn’t the only concern. Multiple times, the president struggled to answer questions and respond to Trump’s remarks in a manner which raised questions as to whether he was cognitively able to run the country. Both candidates acted in true political fashion by launching personal insults at one another. Biden accused Trump of being a “loser” and “whiner,” bringing up allegations that he paid off an adult film actress to keep quiet about an affair. In response, the GOP nominee called the sitting commander-in-chief the “worst president” America has ever had.
Prominent Democrats reacted negatively to the interaction, with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill saying Biden “had one thing” for which he was responsible during the debate and “didn’t do it.”
The president’s former communications director, Kate Bedingfied, described the debate as “really disappointing” while Barack Obama’s Housing and Urban Development secretary, Julian Castro, lamented that the president “failed to clear” the “very low bar” set for him.
All things considered, maybe Democrats are playing it extra safe and trying to avoid another disastrous debate before Election Day.
