13 – September (Index Treasure) Donald Trump’s refusal to debate Kamala Harris is a big moment in the 2024 campaign. It shows a vulnerability in his TV-fame-based political career.
The ex-president said he doesn’t need a rematch. He won Tuesday’s debate, despite bad reviews. A vice president outperformed a former reality star.
“Because we’ve done two debates and because they were successful, there will be no third debate. “It’s too late anyway, the voting’s already begun,” Trump said during a wild campaign speech in Arizona on Thursday. He also referred to his first debate against Joe Biden, which led to his party pushing him out of the race.
But there’s another explanation. Trump, who loves the spotlight, may not want a repeat of a showdown where he was unprepared and unfocused. He squandered his best chance to take down his opponent in a cliffhanger election. The former president might be right to reduce the risk. Polls show he’s in a dead heat with Harris. The race may favor him, as voters prioritize the economy and immigration.
After Tuesday’s onstage meeting, Harris had said that she and her opponent owed it to voters to debate again. Trump’s move let her team gloat. They said he was scared to debate her. It also boosted a performance where she mocked and rebuked an ill-tempered ex-president with a swagger and a smile. Harris’ senior campaign adviser, David Plouffe, blasted Trump on X as “chicken man.”
The Republican nominee often changes his mind. But his announcement on there not being another debate seemed more adamant than many of his previous statements and spin.
His Arizona event aimed to focus on economic policy. A backdrop read, “No taxes on tips” and “Make Housing Affordable.” It revealed Trump was still fuming over Tuesday night. He spent much of his speech on a play-by-play of the debate. He bitterly complained about Harris’ answers and claimed ABC News set him up. His litany of complaints, however, flew in the face of his claim he won. “People said I was angry at the debate. Yes, I am. “I’m angry because he (Biden) let 21 million illegal aliens invade our communities,” Trump said, using unverified figures on undocumented migration.
Harris Claims Underdog Status as New Controversy Engulfs Trump Again
Trump’s turn against a second debate with Harris came as both candidates began a fierce, tit-for-tat campaign. But Trump faced another controversy over his extreme company. He attended a 9/11 commemoration with far-right polemicist Laura Loomer. She has promoted conspiracy theories about the 2001 attacks. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman, rebuked Loomer. Her post was “appalling and extremely racist.” It denigrated Harris’ Indian American heritage. Greene’s conspiratorial mindset has endeared her to the “Make America Great Again” movement.
The uproar over another debate and Loomer’s closeness to Trump are examples of the controversies that flare at the end of campaigns. They often seem irrelevant to the final result. But, with a tight race now a daily grind for a few hundred thousand voters in a few states, such firestorms reveal much about the candidates and their campaigns.
Trump’s defensiveness and Harris’ exuberance in North Carolina on Thursday show each campaign’s view of the debate.
As she did after her euphoric convention in Chicago, the Democratic nominee pleaded with her supporters not to get complacent. “Understand that we are the underdog,” the vice president told a huge crowd in Charlotte.
It’s too early for enough polls to measure the debate’s impact on the race, eight weeks before Election Day. And the result of debates is often not a good predictor of an election result.
But, the candidates’ Thursday itineraries showed they know how close the election could be. Democrats haven’t won North Carolina since 2008. But, it could help find a new path to the White House if Harris can’t win critical Pennsylvania. Trump’s trip to Arizona stressed that a once-red state is now competitive again. Biden’s run made it so. Harris as the nominee has expanded the Democrats’ electoral map.
