(DCWatchdog.com) – In what seems like a highly justified move, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has issued a threat that he might not participate in the upcoming ABC News debate with Democrat candidate Kamala Harris, citing concerns over the network’s bias against him.
Trump’s skepticism was shared in a post on Truth Social, where he critiqued ABC’s coverage.
“I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s (K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” Trump wrote.
ABC reporter Jonathan Karl’s interview with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) garnered significant attention after Karl attempted to defend Harris’s previous endorsement of ending private health insurance, a stance she adopted during her unsuccessful presidential campaign.
When Karl implied that Harris had shifted her stance on the issue, Cotton corrected him, noting that Harris had not personally clarified her current position on healthcare, National Review reports.
Her retreat from her earlier support of “Medicare for All”—a government-run healthcare plan that was central to Senator Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) platform—was only communicated through campaign spokespeople.
Amid these developments, Harris’s campaign spokesman, Ian Sams, criticized Trump on X for his late-night posts threatening to skip the debate, pointing out the necessity of a robust debate.
“Trump is posting late at night on Truth Social threatening to skip the ABC debate. His handlers are insisting that his mic must be muted there. The American people deserve a back-and-forth debate where the two candidates can have real exchanges. Why is Trump so afraid of that?” Sams stated.
Recent favorable media coverage of Harris appears to be bolstering Democratic morale, as evidenced by her improved fundraising and polling figures, the report notes.
Yet, Harris has avoided major media engagements and challenging questions from journalists in the initial stages of her campaign.
Earlier in the month, Trump had confirmed his participation in the ABC debate scheduled for September 10 and indicated his openness to additional debates on different networks.
However, disagreements have arisen between the two campaigns concerning the debate rules, as reported by Politico.
The Trump campaign is advocating for the microphone to be muted when not in use, mirroring the conditions of CNN’s June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden.
Contrarily, Harris’s campaign insists on keeping the microphones active.
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