Image Source: Getty Images | Photo By Zach Gibson
Amidst the political commotion surrounding the Democratic Party’s nomination process, Donald Trump’s campaign staff announced that he would not commit to attending the next presidential debate. This decision has been met with widespread ridicule, and even Vice President Kamala Harris herself has joined the chorus. On July 26, she shared on X, “What happened to ‘anytime, anyplace’?”
The tweet followed the Trump campaign’s decision to avoid debates, which it justified by pointing to several obstacles. As reported by Mediaite, the Trump campaign cited, “Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.
There is a strong sense by many in the Democrat Party – namely Barack Hussein Obama – that Kamala Harris is a Marxist fraud who cannot beat President Trump, and they are still holding out for someone ‘better.’ Therefore, it would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds.”
In March, when Trump and President Joe Biden were arguing over where and when they would debate, Trump had used those same “anytime, anywhere, anyplace” terms to throw down the challenge. He posted on his Truth Social at the time, “It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People.
Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!” Now that Biden is out of the race and Harris has become the Democratic presidential contender, the former president seems to be having second thoughts.
Furthermore, on Thursday, Harris accused the former president of breaking a prior commitment to debate the Democratic candidate and said that she is ready to join Trump in September. As reported by The Independent, Harris spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, where she said that people had been asking her about the topic recently and added, “I’ll tell you I’m ready to debate Donald Trump.
As reported by Mediate, I have agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10 debate. He agreed to that previously. Now, here he is backpedaling and I’m ready and I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage and so I’m ready to go.”
At next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris will be certified as the party’s presidential candidate. She has already won over enough delegates to reach the threshold, and no formidable opposition has surfaced to oppose her.
According to USA Today‘s tally of delegates, 59-year-old Harris has received more than the 1,976 delegates required to be the party’s candidate in the first round of voting. Though almost half of the 3,936 Democratic delegates—which include previous presidents, state and local party leaders, lawmakers, and governors—are granted voting rights in the first round, the remaining 36% are not.
