Former President Donald Trump cast doubts over the merits of debating Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, as the saga between the political duo continues.
While the GOP nominee said he still wants to debate Harris, Trump indicated doing so held little political gain for his campaign during an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.
Trump pointed to polls that suggest he holds a lead over the vice president and his high-profile status as indicators that a debate with Harris would be worthless for the MAGA movement.
“I mean right now I say, why should I do a debate?” the former president questioned Bartiromo. “I’m leading in the polls. And, everybody knows her, everybody knows me.”
Over a week ago, the drama began when Trump said he would “absolutely” debate Harris. At the time, the former president clarified that the terms could be renegotiated because the debate he had previously agreed to had been when President Joe Biden topped the Democratic ticket.
The Trump campaign later said the GOP nominee would debate Harris only after the vice president was declared the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Shortly after the campaign’s comments, the GOP leader continued to say he wanted to debate her at some point while leaving the door open for an exit.
“I can also make a case for not doing it,” Trump told Fox News on Tuesday.
Harris characterized Trump’s comments as “pulling out” of the debate during a Georgia campaign rally later Tuesday evening.
On Friday, the Democratic National Committee seized on Trump’s comments, making ad buys targeting the Republican for being “afraid to debate” because he “knows the only way he can win is if he hides his dangerous Project 2025 agenda,” according to a press release. The ad campaign is set to follow Trump in states where he is campaigning.
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Created by the conservative Heritage Foundation as the political infrastructure to wield a Republican agenda should Trump take office, the GOP leader has publicly and adamantly disavowed Project 2025.
“Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you,” the Trump campaign said Tuesday after the project’s director stepped down.
