Trump Hints At Decision On Debating Harris

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said during an interview broadcast on Monday night that he will likely debate Vice President Kamala Harris, but added that he “can also make a case for” skipping a showdown against the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Trump sat down with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who asked him about a potential debate against Harris, and said that if he declines, “They’re going to say you’re afraid of debating her.”

“Well, they said that with Biden too — [that] I was afraid. I did great with Biden and I did great in every debate. I’ve had a lot of debates,” Trump replied. He added that he continues to lead in the polls after Biden stepped out of the race and Harris became the presumed nominee.

“The answer is yes, I’ll probably end up debating,” Trump said. “I think, actually, the debate should take place before the votes start being cast. I had a very good second debate against Biden [in 2020]. I really beat him badly. The problem was 30-40% of the votes were already cast.”

“So the answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it [debating],” he continued, adding, “I want to do a debate, but I also can say this: Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is.”

Trump says He’ll Probably End up Debating Kamala Harris

???? MY THOUGHTS

Donald Trump holds ALL THE CARDS now.. He’s the King baby… so if they want debates, he should make them debate ON HIS TERMS this time.

Get Tucker Carlson or Joe Rogan to Moderate. They will ask REAL… pic.twitter.com/iTt7SYdPPz

— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) July 30, 2024

The former president agreed to two debates with President Joe Biden — one on CNN on June 27 and another on September 10 on ABC. Biden’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate was the beginning of the end for his campaign against Trump as numerous Democrats urged the president to drop out in the days and weeks following the debate. Biden ended his campaign on July 21 and endorsed Harris.

The vice president said last week that she has “agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10th debate” and urged Trump to do the same. Shortly after Biden dropped out of the race, the Republican nominee pushed for the September 10 debate to be moved from ABC to Fox News.

“My debate with Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the history of the United States, was slated to be broadcast on Fake News ABC, the home of George Slopadopolus, sometime in September. Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate, with whomever the Radical Left Democrats choose, should be held on FoxNews, rather than very biased ABC,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Chalso said that Trump would not agree to a debate with Harris until she is confirmed as the Democrats’ nominee “because Democrats very well could still change their minds.”

Trump told Ingraham that he “would rather run against [Harris] than [Biden].”

“I think she’s easier than he is,” he said. “I always felt he was incompetent, but he had a certain base. And no matter how bad he was, people are gonna vote for him. She doesn’t have that base.”