Donald Trump has very carefully manufactured his public persona as strongman populist beholden to no one due to his alleged wealth. Never mind that he repeatedly exhibits his profound fear of everything from the media to his political foes, and that he has to constantly beg for money, from his billionaire benefactors and his hillbilly cult followers, to pay off his massive legal bills and civil judgments.

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Among the most cowardly acts by Trump are his efforts to dodge debates. He refused to participate in a single Republican primary debate in 2024. And now that he is facing Vice-President Kamala Harris in the general election, the convicted felon is trying to slink toward the exit in order to avoid a face-off with the former prosecutor. He is not only afraid of debating Harris, he wants to prohibit her from running for president at all.

SEE THIS: Wannabe Dictator Trump Seeks to Cancel Kamala Harris asking: ‘What Gives Her the Right to Run?’

The one debate that was previously agreed to by both parties is now up in the air. The first sign of trouble was when Trump posted a comment to his floundering social media scam, Truth Social, wherein he hurled his typically infantile insults at the hosting network (ABC), and its personal (“lightweight Jonathan Karl” and “Liddle’ George Slopadopolus”). Then he suggested that he was contemplating backing out, asking “Why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”

Following Trump’s chicken-hearted harangue, both the Harris and Trump campaigns issued dueling press releases that appeared to be focused on whether or not the mics would be live throughout the debate. Harris wants hot mics to showcase Trump’s notorious hotheadedness. Trump flinched.

Or more likely, Trump’s staff recognizes the risks of letting him loose without parental supervision. So they are fighting furiously to persuade him to only accept a debate with conditions that mask his gross indecencies. What follows are the relevant excerpts from each that require no commentary…

Harris Campaign: “We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates’ mics should be live throughout the full broadcast, Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.”
Trump Campaign: “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate. […] My guess is that they’re looking for a way to get out of any debate with President Trump.” (Source: Politico)

Harris Campaign: “Trump should honor his commitment to debate VP Harris on ABC on Sept 10 and he should reject his handlers’ attempts to muzzle him via a muted microphone The VP is ready to debate Trump live and uncensored. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button.”
Trump Campaign: “We agreed to the same rules. The same rules and the same specifications, and I think that is what it probably should be.” (Source: Deadline)

Clearly the Harris camp is confidant that she will present herself in a manner that attests to her intellect, dignity, and compassion. The Trump camp cannot say the same. He is obviously nervous about whether he can refrain from embarrassing himself with ignorant and/or hostile outbursts. So he needs to rely on his handlers to shield him from his own incivility and immaturity.

The problem with Trump’s strategy is that, even if the mics are muted when the other candidate is speaking, he will still have a live mic when it’s his turn to speak. And there will be more than ample time for him to humiliate himself. Knowing that, there is a growing likelihood that Trump might just refuse to show up. And while that may affirm his reputation as a coward, it would at least allow him to avoid making matters worse by also affirming his unfitness to serve.

RELATED STORIES:

• Crybaby Trump Runs Whining to Sean Hannity When Kamala Harris Passes on Biased Fox News Debate
• Trump Chickens Out of the Debate with Kamala Harris and Proposes a New One on Fox News
• Hannity Thinks Trump Shouldn’t Debate Kamala Harris Because the Moderators Will Be Mean to Him

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