Vice President Kamala Harris has been slow to comment on former President Donald Trump’s taunt that he was ready to debate President Joe Biden “anytime, anywhere and anyplace.”
Trump made his renewed challenge on Wednesday via a post on his Truth Social platform.
Biden will be too afraid to debate! pic.twitter.com/U40UJ7l0yf
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) March 7, 2024
A master strategist, some suggest the challenge was made just a day before Thursday’s State of the Union Address to distract the president from the task at hand.
On Friday, Biden responded cryptically by saying that any decision regarding his debating with Trump would be based on the former president’s “behavior.”
On Friday, Harris “dodged questions” regarding the possibility of her sharing in a vice-presidential debate, a hallmark of general primary election cycles. When asked if Biden would debate Trump, Harris answered, “That will be decided later.”
NBC’s Peter Alexander pressed the matter, asking the question again. Harris deflected saying, “We just got through the State of the Union. And I’m just so excited about what we accomplished last night and our president.”
Alexander continued to press, asking Harris, “Should President Biden debate him in your view?”
“That’s a choice that is going to be decided upon soon,” said Harris, “and we’ll keep you posted.”
Real Clear Politics highlighted how Harris has frustrated reporters by often refusing to answer direct questions and shifting the conversation to assailing Trump.
On Friday, during questioning regarding whether or not Biden should accept Trump’s offer to debate, Harris claimed that Biden “is competent…and has accomplished more than many presidents even hope for.”
In contrast, Harris said of the former president, “[Trump] glorifies dictators and said he’ll be a dictator on day one. [Trump] will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies.”
During a Friday interview with ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce, Harris spoke highly of President Biden’s accomplishments and State of the Union Address but again sidestepped a direct question regarding Trump’s request for a debate.
“We’ll get to that at some point, and we’ll deal with that,” Harris said, adding. “But the point is right now on this day after the State of the Union, I think the president laid down the facts for the American people in terms of what’s at stake and I thought he did an extraordinary job.”
When Bruce asked Harris about the tone of the State of the Union Address, which many have characterized as adversarial, Harris argued that what viewers saw was a president who was “passionate” about addressing important national and global issues.
Harris argued that Biden knows “where we are as a country and what’s at stake.”
