OPINION: Trump Says He's 'Not Inclined' to Do Another Debate – Here's Why He Should

By / / Gov & Politics / 4 minutes of reading



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Americans no doubt came away from Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump with a wide variety of opinions. If there was a clear winner, that comes down to which side of the aisle you are on. Tuesday night’s contest is, at this point, the first of a possible three debates between the candidates. But will those other debates take place, do they need to? Would either candidate benefit from more debates? That may be up in the air, and that would be a really bad idea.

Immediately following the debate, the Harris campaign took to social media and said, “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?” Did Kamala Harris believe she did that well or was the expectation bar for her that low? That’s a debate in itself for another day, but it was Donald Trump’s response to that challenge that his supporters would want him to rethink. While speaking to reporters post-debate and then again during an appearance Wednesday morning on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said, “I don’t know that I want to do another debate.” 

The main reason Trump listed for being, he said, “not inclined to” want another match-up with Harris was that he believed he won Tuesday’s debate. He likened it to a boxing match where the losing fighter, in this case, Harris, immediately says they want a rematch. He also stated that if a second debate was on the Fox News Channel, he would prefer moderators other than Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier.  

Here are a few reasons why not agreeing to a second debate would be a bad idea for Donald Trump. On the most basic level, it makes Trump look afraid to engage Kamala Harris again, giving the impression that she did better than she actually did; again, a low bar. The most glaring reason is, of course, a hostile network with hostile moderators. ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis may as well have been wearing their “Harris for President” T-shirts. There was no pretense of fairness or objectivity. Muir and Davis ran interference for Harris at every turn and, for a few minutes, took over and debated Trump themselves. Trump was fact-checked constantly, while Harris was free to peddle untruths.

Trump can negate the ABC News cheerleaders by going to more friendly territory like Fox News. The Trump campaign must insist that a second debate be on Fox. Trump recently did a town hall event with Sean Hannity that was originally proposed to be a debate, but the Harris campaign would not agree to it. Trump has to force Kamala Harris into what she might deem a less-than-friendly environment. As far as moderators go, if Trump is not comfortable with MacCallum and Baier, why not get some fresh faces like Hannity and Laura Ingraham? For Trump supporters, Hannity and Ingraham would likely be an even exchange for Muir and Davis. Can Kamala Harris survive a three-on-one? 

Friendly confines essentially would buy Donald Trump a do-over. Part of Trump’s rough performance was the fact that the Kamala Harris surrogates sent him down ridiculous rabbit holes that Americans care nothing about, like January 6, the Charlottesville “fine people,” “bloodbath,” and Project 2025 hoaxes, so Trump would waste time defending himself and less time talking about the concerns of the American people like the economy and immigration. A Fox News debate would subject Kamala Harris to the tough questions she has yet to face about her record, like supporting decriminalizing drugs, taxpayer-funded trans surgeries for illegal immigrants, and ending ICE detainers for illegal immigrants accused of crimes. This was just more of the protection racket run by ABC News.

Was Tuesday night an example of the way Democrats want to play the debate game now? If that is the case, and Kamala Harris won the evening, then she should have no trouble answering debate questions from the Fox News team. But Donald Trump should absolutely agree to a second debate, and it is high time the Trump campaign forced Kamala Harris to agree to their conditions. There just might be some different results.  





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Avatar of Alice Lee
Alice Lee has been writing about lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech since she was a kid. She's passionate about all things pop culture, and she loves to combine her love of writing with her love of sports.

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