US Vice President Kamala Harris and her rival, former President Donald Trump, were embroiled on Saturday in an argument over where and when to debate, with the Democrat demanding to maintain what was agreed when Joe Biden was the candidate but the Republican wanting to change the date and the chain of the face-to-face.
Trump and Biden had agreed to two on-camera debates: one on CNN on June 27 in Atlanta, after which Biden declined to run for re-election, and another on ABC on September 9, for which a city had yet to be determined.
The Democratic candidate’s campaign wants to maintain that second face-to-face, but the Republican’s plan, announced on Friday night, is for the debate to be held on September 4 on the ultra-conservative Fox News channel, to take place in the key state of Pennsylvania, with an audience and with the moderators being the channel’s journalists Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Trump’s excuse is that he is “in a dispute” with the progressive ABC network and its journalist George Slopadopoulos, who interviewed Biden in prime time after the Democrat’s disastrous performance in the debate with Trump.
Harris campaign: “Trump is scared”
Kamala Harris lashed out on social media on Saturday against Trump’s plan, who when his opponent was Biden had assured that he was willing to debate “anytime, anywhere.”
“It’s funny how ‘any time, any place’ has become ‘a specific time, a specific place'”said Harris, who was firm in that the debate scheduled on ABC should be maintained: “I will be there on September 10th, as he agreed. I hope to see him there.”said.
Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler went a step further, saying, “Donald Trump is scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and is running straight to Fox News to bail him out.”
According to Tyler, Democrats are open to discussing more debates, but only after the one both campaigns have already agreed to takes place.
Trump: Harris is not mentally fit to debate
Trump’s response to Harris’ rejection was not long in coming, and on social media he insulted the vice president, claiming that she is “mentally unfit” to debate with him and that she has a “low IQ.”
The Republican added that she is the one who is “scared” and was unwavering in his demand: “Either we see each other on September 4th or we will not see each other anymore,” he threatened.
Trump has stepped up his attacks and insults against the vice president as she has secured the Democratic nomination and as she has narrowed the gap in the polls.
The former president on Wednesday cast doubt on whether Harris is a black person and suggested the vice president changed her racial identity to win African-American votes. The vice president, whose father is Jamaican and whose mother is Indian, claims to be black and South Asian.
Waiting for Harris’ ‘number two’
The tension of the campaign is escalating every day and will enter its most intense phase starting Tuesday, when Harris will appear in public for the first time with the Democratic candidate for vice president, whose name has not been revealed.
Harris cleared her schedule this weekend to focus on choosing her number two, a position for which names such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly are being considered.
Meanwhile, Trump today came out in defense of his running mate, JD Vance, who polls have placed as the least popular vice presidential candidate in decades.
“He’s doing a great job. Do you know why they’re going against JD? Because he’s pro-workers”Trump said at a rally in Georgia.
Democrats took advantage of Vance’s birthday on Friday to mock him: “JD Vance’s birthday is off to a good start,” they said in a statement.
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2024-08-08 19:37:53