Trump Claims He Will Debate Biden ‘ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE’
Donald Trump is only a few hundred delegates away from securing the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and after a dominating performance on Super Tuesday and the withdrawal of his last GOP opponent, Nikki Haley, Trump really, really, wants to debate President Joe Biden — or so he claims.
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People. Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.
Trump’s debate-me fever is a stark reversal from his recent position on debating his political opponents. Throughout the Republican primaries, Trump outright refused to participate in the debates hosted by the Republican National Committee, instead holding competing rallies and airing an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at the same time his rivals took the stage.
For a guy who loves attacking his critics and rivals on stage, his absence was notable. In Trump’s view, he was a shoo-in for the nomination, his challengers were little more than flies buzzing about his tail, so why bother? Now that his nomination at the July RNC convention is all but guaranteed, Trump is quickly shifting into general-election mode and wants to get in Biden’s face as soon as he can.
Trump’s challenge has already made its way to the West Wing. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked by Fox News during Wednesday’s press briefing how Biden would fare in a debate.
Jean-Pierre did not confirm if Biden would be participating in the traditional pre-election presidential debates, and directed questions about the matter to the president’s campaign. She affirmed that the president is perfectly capable of publicly sparring with his critics. “You literally saw [him] last year in January 2023 at the State of the Union take on Republicans during a major speech. He took them on as they were heckling him. He took them on and said he was going to fight for programs […] he stood there and fought for the American people. I mean, that was pretty impressive.”
Biden will deliver the State of the Union address Thursday night. Trump added on Truth Social that he will be providing live commentary.
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