Topline
Former President Donald Trump is still questioning whether he should debate Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that Harris is a “third-rate candidate” and voters already know each of their beliefs.
“Why should I do a debate? I’m leading in the polls, and everybody knows her, everybody knows me,” … [+]
Key Facts
When Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo asked whether Trump would debate Harris, he said “Well I want to … but right now I say, ‘why should I do a debate?’ I’m leading in the polls, and everybody knows her, everybody knows me.”
Trump also called Harris a “third-rate” and “failed candidate,” pointing out she didn’t make it to Iowa during her 2020 presidential run, though he recognized there “is more enthusiasm for her,” adding “how can you be enthusiastic about Joe Biden?”
Trump did maintain in the interview Harris is a “worse” candidate policy-wise and “more radical” than Biden, saying she wants “open borders,” to defund the police that foreign leaders don’t respect her.
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Contra
Harris has said she would bring back the border security bill Trump killed, and while she expressed support for defunding the police in 2020, a campaign spokesperson recently told CNN her comments actually supported being “tough and smart on crime.”
Key Background
Trump has been reluctant to give an answer on the question of whether he will debate Harris since she took over as the presumptive Democratic nominee after Biden left the race. Earlier this week, he said “I want to do a debate,” but then went on to outline several reasons why he thinks it is not necessary. The week before, however, Trump told reporters he “would be willing to do more than one debate” with Harris, saying he believes the Republican and Democratic nominees “have an obligation” to debate. With his recent lack of commitment to a debate, Harris accused him of backpedaling on the two debates he agreed to with Biden—the first of which on June 27 saw a poor performance from Biden and played a key role in him ending his reelection bid. Trump and Biden also agreed to a debate hosted by ABC on Sept. 10, though Trump recently indicated the terms he agreed to with Biden do not apply to Harris. He also recently took issue with ABC hosting the debate, saying in a post on Truth Social the debate “should be held on FoxNews, rather than very biased ABC.”
Big Number
1.2 points. That’s how much Trump leads Harris by in a national head-to-head contest, according to RealClearPolling’s average on Friday, which has Harris leading Trump in three of 10 polls.
Chief Critic
Earlier this week, Harris—who has said she is ready to debate Trump—called Trump out on his refusal to commit to a debate. “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,” Harris said to Trump while speaking at a rally in Atlanta.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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