Senator JD Vance, R-Ohio, referred to former President Trump’s proposal to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News in September as a “masterstroke” on Saturday.
“It’s fantastic,” remarked Trump’s vice presidential candidate during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Breitbart News Saturday.” “In many respects, it’s a masterstroke because the Kamala campaign has long asserted that President Trump is too afraid to debate Kamala Harris, which is completely ridiculous considering that when he last debated their candidate, that nominee dropped out just two weeks later.”
Following a lackluster debate performance in late June that sparked worries among Democrats, President Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris as the nominee last month.
On Friday night, Trump announced on Truth Social, “I have made arrangements with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The debate was initially set against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but it has been canceled since Biden will no longer participate, and I’m currently involved in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, which creates a conflict of interest.”
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“The Fox News debate will take place in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in a location that will be determined shortly. The moderators will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the rules will be similar to those from my debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been poorly treated by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL AUDIENCE!”
Sen. JD Vance on Saturday called former President Trump’s offer to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News in September a “masterstroke.” (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Initially, Trump and Biden were slated to debate on September 10 on ABC.
Vance mentioned that Trump appropriately addressed the earlier planned debate, stating, “I’m not going to participate in a debate before the Democratic National Convention, as they might change their nominee once again.”
The Democratic National Convention is set for August 19-22.
The Ohio senator added that Trump was “throwing down the gauntlet of ‘I was willing to go to CNN,’ which is far more antagonistic towards him than any network would be towards Kamala Harris, and ‘Kamala Harris, why don’t you step up and agree to a debate.’”
“What we’ve discovered about Kamala over the last four years, Matt, is she’s incredibly ineffective when she’s not following a script, right?”
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On Saturday, Harris responded to Trump’s debate proposal on X, stating, “It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’ I’ll be there on September 10th, as he agreed. Looking forward to seeing him there.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Vance also mentioned that Trump’s desire to have an audience at the debate is “a smart move for the president” as “he genuinely thrives on human interaction, which is essential for any political leader.”
“To lead effectively, it’s crucial to like people and engage with them positively,” he added. “Having a crowd at this debate is significant as it will showcase his natural leadership skills. Moreover, it also indicates that people are somewhat disenchanted with Kamala Harris. So, it’s beneficial. Fingers crossed it takes place, and hopefully, Kamala Harris agrees to it. If she declines, then clearly she is the one who fears the debate.”
President Biden ended his re-election campaign after a lackluster debate performance against former President Trump on June 27. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Harris responded to Trump’s new debate proposition on X Saturday, stating, “It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ morphs into ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’ I will be present on September 10th, as he agreed. I expect to see him there.”
Earlier in the spring, Trump had challenged Biden for a debate “any time, any place.”
“Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he initially agreed to by opting for Fox News to save him,” remarked Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler. “He needs to stop playing games and attend the debate he committed to on September 10.”
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Tyler noted that Harris will be at the previously scheduled ABC debate “one way or another to seize the opportunity to address a primetime national audience. We are open to discussing additional debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to. Mr. Anytime, anywhere, should have no issue with that unless he’s too frightened to appear on the 10th.”
