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Like a spoiled boy who wasn’t getting his way anymore, Donald Trump earlier this month tried to change the terms of an agreement on presidential debates to one that is more to his liking.
“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” the former president announced in a Truth Social post in which he also stated that he had “terminated” the originally scheduled September 10 debate on ABC.
This debate that Trump and his propaganda network had dreamed up (without consulting the Harris campaign) was to play to the former president’s “strengths.” He wanted it to be televised on a network that is unabashedly supporting him, and the “deal” also included plans for an “arena audience.”
Basically, it’s like challenging somebody to a game of chess but insisting on playing with the white pieces… and that the opponent remove her queen and both rooks from the board.
Harris didn’t fall for it.
Her campaign never entertained the thought of scrapping the previously agreed upon debate, which seems like a wise move.
After all, nothing would have stopped Trump from canceling any subsequent meetings once he got “his” debate on the “news” network that functions, essentially, as a multi-billion-dollar in-kind contribution from a right-wing billionaire.
In addition, the first debate will be the most important one, so it would be unwise to allow one candidate to unilaterally set the terms for it.
Finally, it’s just good to stand up to bullies.
Instead of being baited into doing what Trump wanted, the Harris campaign merely announced that the vice president would show up at the mutually agreed upon time and place, and if necessary, debate an empty chair.
Strategically, that’s the right move, even though it allows the former president to claim that Harris is “afraid” to meet him… along the lines of, “Looks like somebody is scared to play chess with me if she doesn’t get to keep her precious queen and both rooks.”
And that’s what, predictably, happened Monday night.
“[Vice President Harris] has just informed us that she will NOT do the Fox News debate on September 4th,” stated Trump in yet another Truth Social post that stretches the truth quite a bit since the vice president’s campaign never said anything indicating that she wanted to participate.
Like that petulant child, the former president then made up a bunch of reasons why Harris would not want to debate him… even though she has already said she would do so a week later.
However, from the very beginning, this was never about an actual debate.
Now, Trump gets what he wants: a “Tele-Town Hall” (his capitalization, not ours) hosted by Sean Hannity, who is getting paid millions of dollars annually to make the former president look good.
It seems more than likely that this will turn into a pure propaganda event with Hannity spoon-feeding the former president questions and talking points.
In theory, Harris’s “refusal” to appear on Fox would also give Trump cover for pulling out of the ABC debate.
However, the way things are going, it seems much more likely that the former president will be in dire need of changing the trajectory of the race in three weeks, so, for now, let’s assume that the September 10 debate is still on.
