Staff Reports
Democrats are at it again, showcasing their talent for political gymnastics as they scramble to unearth a new candidate after Joe Biden’s mid-cycle bail. It’s no secret that the Democrats only threw Biden overboard because the polling was looking worse than a Sunday school attendance report. If they thought there was a glimmer of hope for their beleaguered president, they’d have clutched him tighter than a favorite blanket, even after that debacle of a first debate. Instead, they’re sending Kamala Harris to face Donald Trump, and it appears the GOP frontrunner has ideas about where this upcoming debate should unfold.
Enter Trump, suggesting that instead of the previously agreed venue at ABC News, the showdown should take place at Fox News. This bold suggestion not only reflects his preference for fairer treatment, which ABC notoriously lacks but also underlines the chaos within the Democratic party. Now that Biden has ducked out, the plans for the debate are in limbo. While the Democrats shake up the Electoral College with their game of musical chairs, Trump’s not about to play along without making some demands of his own.
Trump is laying the groundwork for skipping September's debate on ABC now that Biden is no longer his opponent. He says Fox News should host it instead pic.twitter.com/GzQ35k35Nc
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 21, 2024
Critics might want to paint Trump as reluctant to face off against Harris, but that narrative might need a touch of reality. After all, he had already put the first debate nails in Biden’s political coffin. The Democrats don’t just get to swap out their failed candidate mid-campaign and assume Trump will keep rolling with the same old agreements. The mere fact that the oppositional player has changed the entire negotiation landscape raises fundamental questions about what Trump is obligated to do.
The particulars of debate management can be touchy. It’s not just about who talks first or how many seconds they get to answer; it’s a finely-tuned arrangement that now must be renegotiated. This whole situation turns the Democratic power play into a circus act — and Trump is in the front row with a front-row seat. Given that the initial agreement was shattered before the ink was even dry because of Biden’s exit stage left, it’s only fair that Trump calls for a complete reset of the terms. Sticking to the original rules would only leave him vulnerable to yet another attempt at political sleight-of-hand by the Democrats.
If they pressure Trump to debate Harris by suggesting he’s too chicken to show up, they need to think again. Trump should resist the urge to take their bait, prioritizing his own interests over their games. After all, the Democrats have proven time and again that they operate in a self-serving bubble, and this new adjustment is a perfect example. They have successfully manipulated the rules—who needs integrity when political expediency is in play? If the American electorate ends up with only one debate in this election cycle, it will rest squarely on the Democrats’ poor planning and execution, not on anything Trump does or doesn’t do.
