Janice R. Andrews
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed that former President Donald Trump is too “afraid” to face Vice President Kamala Harris in an interview with NBC News on Thursday. Trump’s hesitation, the seasoned New York Democrat underlined, is a result of Harris’s status as a “strong black woman.”
“Even debating Kamala Harris scares him. You know, he’s already declared he wouldn’t argue.” Schumer said. “She is a powerful Black lady. The senior Democrat went on, “Denver Trump may not want to admit it, but it’s real and everyone knows it’s true. “He’s afraid to debate her.”
Schumer’s comments are a part of a larger Democratic campaign to get Trump and Harris to debate. In a recent MSNBC interview, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed similar views to Schumer, characterizing Trump as “afraid” of Harris.
“Tough talk is this guy’s calling card and now there’s this extraordinary show of weakness,” added Buttigieg. “[Trump] said any time, any place, but more than that, he agreed to this specific debate, on this specific network, on this specific date, and now he’s pulling out,” the secretary stated on Morning Joe. Buttigieg said, “It demonstrates that he’s terrified.”
Using the now-familiar refrain among Democrats, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro—who is largely regarded as Harris’s top pick for a running mate—also added his voice. This week, Shapiro wrote on X, “Donald Trump is now afraid of debating [Kamala Harris]— and not just because he knows she’s a skilled debater.” “He’s scared because he can’t run away from his record any longer — but here in Pennsylvania, we haven’t forgotten who he is, and we aren’t going back.”
This week, Senate Democrats have made a point of calling Trump a criminal and have been anxious to portray the Vice President as an accomplished prosecutor. This strategy seeks to emphasize Harris’s track record as a prosecutor in San Francisco prior to her election as a senator.
Harris has openly criticized Trump for his indecisiveness on his promise to participate in an ABC debate in September. “What happened to ‘any time, any place’?” Harris commented in reaction to a post on X announcing Trump’s withdrawal from the event. Harris subsequently stated, “If you got something to say, say it to my face,” during a campaign event this week in Atlanta, Georgia. Her comment was welcomed with a boisterous reception.
Trump had committed to confront President Joe Biden at the September 10 ABC debate, not Harris, in spite of Harris’s objections. He did, however, pledge to debate “anytime, anyplace.”
Following the former president’s withdrawal last week, Steven Cheung, the head of communications for the Trump campaign, attempted to reaffirm Trump’s promise. “Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” he stated. Many in the Democratic Party, particularly Barack Hussein Obama, have a strong belief that Kamala Harris is a Marxist fake who is unable to defeat President Trump, and they are still waiting for someone ‘better.’ Consequently, it would not be proper to set up an appointment with Harris because Democrats may yet decide otherwise.”
The party’s formal nominee for president will be decided during the Democratic National Convention, which takes place from August 19 to 22, although Harris has already obtained enough delegates.
Trump keeps avoiding the confrontation in the interim. Since then, he has called ABC “fake news” and stated that Fox News should be the channel on which the event airs.
The Democratic Party’s insistence on a Trump-Harris debate is still a major storyline as the political scene changes. It’s unclear if Trump and Harris will confront each other in the end, but the challenge underscores the stakes and close scrutiny surrounding the 2024 election season.
