US President Donald Trump made his first television appearance since selecting Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate, speaking at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.
During the surprise press conference, the former president announced that he had agreed to hold three debates with three news networks: Fox News on September 4, NBC on September 10, and ABC on September 25.
“We've talked to the network chiefs and everything is confirmed, except for a few fairly minor details,” Trump said. “The other party has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don't know if they will.”
ABC quickly clarified that both campaigns had agreed to participate in a debate on Sept. 10 — not Sept. 25 — which was scheduled to take place before Biden dropped out of the race.
Trump had tried to pull out of the debate last month as Democrats were arguing over who would replace Biden at the top of the presidential ticket. Instead, the former president asked to debate his favorite propaganda machine, Fox News.
“He should stop playing games and show up for the debate he has already committed to on September 10,” the Harris campaign said earlier this month, adding that even if Trump were to miss, the vice president would still “seize the opportunity to speak to a national audience in prime time.”
The enthusiasm surrounding Harris has clearly shaken the Trump campaign. As I mentioned earlier, rolling stone, A Republican close to the former president said Trump was “not happy with the narrative” surrounding Harris, particularly regarding the size of her crowd.
Asked at Mar-a-Lago about the huge crowds Harris attended, Trump said, “Nobody has spoken to bigger crowds than me,” and claimed that his Jan. 6 rally was probably larger than the one that gathered to hear Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“when [Harris] “When he gets 1,000 people and everybody starts jumping, you know, if I have 1,000 people, people are going to say that's the end of his campaign, and the enthusiasm is with me in the Republican Party,” Trump said.
In one tense exchange, Trump attacked a reporter who asked him about his absence from the campaign trail last week and his concerns that the race was not being taken seriously. “That’s a stupid question,” Trump replied. “Because I’m ahead by a long shot.” The former president’s lead over Harris is slim, if any, and appears to be shrinking as the vice president gains momentum.
Trump cited the number of interviews, taped statements and television appearances he has given from his Mar-a-Lago resort as part of his campaign, and he has launched several attacks on Harris, particularly her intelligence.[Harris is] “She doesn't hold a press conference. You know why she doesn't hold a press conference? Because she can't hold a press conference. She doesn't know how to hold a press conference. She's not smart enough to hold a press conference. And I'm sorry, we need smart people to lead this country,” he added.
Trump also spoke at length about how the Democratic Party stole the nomination from Biden, falsely claiming it was “unconstitutional.” Despite envisioning Biden returning to the race, he claimed Thursday that he would be happy to run against Harris. “I’m not a fan of his brain,” Trump said of the incumbent president, before suggesting that he is still smarter than Harris.
Whether or not Harris is currently holding press conferences, she appears to be in very good shape, and the former president clearly can't stand that.
