Former President Donald Trump said he’d like to debate Vice President Kamala Harris “more than once” but did not commit to appearing at the next scheduled debate in September on ABC. On a Tuesday afternoon press call about Harris’ immigration record, Trump said he was “not thrilled at ABC” and may want another network to air the debate. He said he’d only agreed to debate President Joe Biden twice — during the June 27 debate that led to Biden bowing out of the race and then in September — not Harris.
Quick Read
- Former President Donald Trump expressed interest in debating Vice President Kamala Harris “more than once” but did not confirm participation in the next scheduled debate on ABC in September.
- During a press call about Harris’ immigration record, Trump criticized ABC, suggesting another network might be preferable for the debate.
- Trump stated he had only agreed to debate President Joe Biden twice but emphasized the importance of debating in a presidential race.
- Trump reiterated his dissatisfaction with ABC News, proposing Fox News Channel as an alternative debate venue.
- Trump announced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to his Florida estate on Friday, highlighting his “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH” agenda.
- Trump mentioned recent communications with foreign leaders, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Trump commented on the Biden administration’s failure to protect him, claiming he “was forced to take a bullet for Democracy” following news of Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation.
- Despite Elon Musk endorsing Trump, Democrats continue to use Musk’s platform, X, for announcements and updates, emphasizing its role as a major news source.
The Associated Press has the story:
Trump says he still wants to debate Harris but isn’t ‘thrilled at ABC’
Newslooks- (AP)
Former President Donald Trump said he’d like to debate Vice President Kamala Harris “more than once” but did not commit to appearing at the next scheduled debate in September on ABC. On a Tuesday afternoon press call about Harris’ immigration record, Trump said he was “not thrilled at ABC” and may want another network to air the debate. He said he’d only agreed to debate President Joe Biden twice — during the June 27 debate that led to Biden bowing out of the race and then in September — not Harris.
But Trump said he still wants to debate Harris. “I think debating’s important for a presidential race,” he said. “You sort of have an obligation to debate.”
Trump complains again about debate plans, says ABC News ‘is not worthy’
Trump is again complaining about the plans for a debate, suggesting that he may not be as confident in facing Harris as he was Biden. The former president had said he would debate Biden “anytime, anywhere, any place” but early Tuesday morning Trump complained for the second time since Biden dropped out that ABC News “is not worthy of holding a Debate.”
He has suggested moving the debate to Fox News Channel, which is seen as a friendlier venue for him.
Trump says Netanyahu will visit him in Florida
Trump says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit him at his Florida estate on Friday. Trump made the announcement in a post on his social media network in which he said, “my PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH Agenda will demonstrate to the World that these horrible, deadly Wars, and violent Conflicts must end. Millions are dying, and Kamala Harris is in no way capable of stopping it.”
Trump originally posted that Netanyahu would visit earlier in the week, but posted an update saying that Netanyahu had requested to change the meeting day from Thursday to Friday. Trump has spoken to other foreign leaders recently, including two visits at his home from Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán over the past few months.
Trump also had a phone call last week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump: ‘I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy’ after the administration ‘did not properly protect me’
Minutes after news of Cheatle’s resignation broke, Trump posted a statement on his social media network saying: “The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!”
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Cheatle’s resignation. It was not clear if Trump’s post in reaction to the news about the Secret Service director’s resignation.
Despite Musk’s Trump endorsement, X remains a go-to platform for Democrats
A week after Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president, President Joe Biden’s team used Musk’s social platform X — in addition to more neutral spaces such as Facebook and Instagram — to announce he is ending his reelection campaign.
It’s a testament to how ingrained the platform has become among the power players of the political and media world, as well as users looking for news and live updates of major events. While Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, along with TikTok, boast far more users, X users say keeping up with the news is not the reason they use those platforms, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.
X is the exception: most of the site’s users say following the news is a reason they use it and about half say they regularly get their news from there. “X is where history happens,” posted X CEO Linda Yaccarino on Sunday with a screenshot of Biden’s announcement. While a comment pointed out that the same message was posted on other social media platforms as well, the narrative remains an important one for X and its long-touted efforts to become a “digital town square.”
▶ Read more about how X has remained a go-to for Democrats
