Kamala Harris should NOT debate Trump
Trump just proved why
Donald Trump just proved, in front of a room full of black journalists, why it would be pointless for Vice-president Kamala Harris to debate him.
I know, I know. When Harris became the presumptive nominee, Democrats leapt for joy at the prospect of the sharp, younger, former prosecutor taking Trump head-on and kicking his ass on the debate stage. She has excellent verbal skills. She is tough. She could put him in his place.
The problem is, we already know what Trump’s place is. It’s in the gutter and he’s perfectly happy to drag his opponent down in the muck with him. There is nothing to be gained. It’s impossible to be anywhere near him and conduct oneself with dignity.
Trump spoke to the National Association of Black Journalists yesterday in Chicago. The prospect of his appearance upset some black journalists who felt it was wrong to give a platform to Trump when he has attacked many black journalists in the past.
With three black female journalists on stage to ask questions, Trump immediately went into attack mode at the first question posed by Rachel Scott of ABC News. “A lot of people in this room did not think you should be here today,” Scott said. “You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals from Nikki Haley to Barack Obama, saying they were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have used words like ‘animal’ and ‘rabid’ to describe black district attorneys. You have attacked black journalists, calling them a ‘loser’, saying they are ‘sick’ and ‘racist’… My question to you, sir, is now that you’re asking black supporters to vote for you, why should black voters trust you after you’ve used language like that?”
Trump, used to being glorified at his rallies or being asked softball questions by Fox News lackeys, didn’t like hearing his own words thrown back in his face. So, he lashed out. “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner. You don’t even say hello, how are you…. I think it’s disgraceful…I think it’s a very rude introduction. I don’t know why you would do something like that.”
With some attendees hooting their derision, Trump then mispronounced Kamala, which many Republicans do. It’s racist and it should stop.
Trump questions if Harris is Black
He also made headlines by expressing doubt about whether Harris is Black. “She was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn, and she went, she became a Black person.” Harris, who attended the all-Black Howard University, has a mother who is Indian American and a Jamaican father who is Black.
Trump repeated his line, again in front of a roomful of black journalists, that he was “the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
It is vintage Trump, and exactly why VP Harris should avoid debating him. Sure, Trump might accuse her of being afraid to debate him. In my view, that’s preferable to being treated the way Trump treated his questioners yesterday.
If on the one hand he wants to appeal to black voters, and on the other tells the black women on stage with him “you continue in a very hostile and nasty tone” in front of a roomful of black journalists, what will he do to Kamala Harris alone with him on stage?
He likes to dish it out but he has a thin skin and can’t take it. His appearance at NABJ yesterday proves it. The moment Harris confronts him, Trump will make it personal. He will insult her. He will accuse her of all the nefarious things he does. Everyone, no matter their capabilities, is brought down to his level.
A hard pass
It’s an impossible task for any one of character to take on Trump, who spews vile insults, lies and exaggerations as naturally as the rest of us breathe.
A Harris-Trump debate will not change one voter’s mind. It will make our political discourse even worse than it already is.
I hope Kamala Harris does us all a favor. Get on the debate stage with Donald Trump? That’s a hard pass.
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This just in…Trump has backed out of the scheduled debate on ABC and has proposed doing one instead on Fox. I feel even stronger now that she should not do that. She has much to lose and little to gain. Although all networks would likely carry the debate, I see no reason should try to validate Fox, which is a propaganda arm of the GOP, not a legitimate news network.
Following President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump that sparked calls for Mr. Biden to step aside. I argued that Trump should refuse to have another debate with Biden because there was nothing to prove. They already had met. However, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris should have one debate. And GOP VP candidate JD Vance and the Democratic VP should also have one debate. It's an important American tradition regardless of how much we dislike any of the past, present or future presidential hopefuls. Yes, many of the familiar stump lines will be spewed by both. But it's the journalists jobs to ask hard questions and let voters decide who presented the best case to be the next U.S. president--cliches, hyperboles and outright lies aside. A Donald Trump-Kamala Harris debate? Yes, of course. But only one.