Former President Donald Trump let Vice President Kamala Harris back him into a lose-lose situation when it comes to the presidential debates, writes Zeeshan Aleem for MSNBC.
The controversy all goes back to when Trump and President Joe Biden agreed to two debates: one on CNN in June, and one on ABC News in September. Biden did so disastrously in the June debate that the Democratic Party lost confidence in his fitness to run a campaign and serve a second term, eventually leading to his departure from the race and Harris replacing him — and that was a problem for Trump, who had been preparing for an easy rout of a second debate in September.
Trump responded by backing out of the ABC debate he had agreed to, and demanding Harris instead agree to a new debate moderated by Fox News that he hopes would suit him better. He claims this is because “Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network …. thereby creating a conflict of interest.” This doesn't make any sense, Aleem noted, since the issue Trump is suing ABC over — George Stephanopoulos saying on air Trump was found liable for rape — happened before the debate was agreed to, and the terms Trump agreed to didn't specify Biden had to be the nominee.
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Harris' response to all this has been masterful, wrote Aleem, and has Trump cornered.
Specifically he wrote, Harris "plans to appear at the initially scheduled place and time — Sept. 10 on ABC — regardless of whether or not Trump shows. It’s a smart move that’ll help lay bare both Trump’s self-doubt, and his lack of interest in anything civic-minded that doesn’t help him."
And that means Trump is likely in trouble no matter what he does, wrote Aleem, because "he fears embarrassment against an energetic new candidate who can communicate far more effectively than her predecessor." If he backs out of the debate, Harris gets the entire time block to herself, and can even debate Trump's empty podium, a strategy that has been devastating for no-show candidates in the past. If, on the other hand, Trump relents and shows up, he wrote, "Harris will have an opportunity to showcase her policies and draw a contrast with her mendacious, rambling and authoritarian opponent."
"Regardless of how this shakes out, the entire back-and-forth works to Harris’ benefit," Aleem concluded. "Trump looks afraid, and his desire to set up contests only where he thinks he can win is evident for all to see."
