Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Vice President Kamala Harris called out Donald Trump during her campaign rally in Atlanta for declining to debate her in September.
On Tuesday evening (July 30), before a crowd of 10,000 at the Georgia State Convention Center, Vice President Kamala Harris called out Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for declining to debate her in September. The presumptive Democratic nominee spelled it out plainly, saying: “You may have noticed he pulled out of the debate,” she began. “The momentum in this race is shifting, and there are signs that Donald Trump is feeling it. Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,” Harris finished, with the crowd wildly roaring in approval. Harris has said she will be at the Sept. 10 debate.
Trump has refused to commit to debating Vice President Harris after President Joe Biden decided not to run for reelection and endorsed Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee. His campaign team has gone on record saying it would be “inappropriate” since the Democratic Party could change their minds and not officially nominate Harris at their convention in Chicago beginning Aug. 15. Trump had agreed to two debates against President Biden, with the first moderated by CNN on June 27. However, he has also called for the second debate to be moved from ABC News to Fox News, saying in an interview with Laura Ingraham that he doesn’t “like rewarding fake news” in addition to insulting host George Stephanopoulos. “I don’t like that ABC is going to get rich,” he added.
The enthusiasm for Harris as the Democratic nominee has potentially given Trump and his team cause for worry. According to reports, recent polls have shown that the vice president has dramatically wiped out leads that Trump has had in key battleground states. Harris alluded to that throughout her speech at the rally, which also featured Hip-Hop stars lending their support to Vice President Harris. Quavo talked at length about her support to institute laws to prevent gun violence. “You can’t understand the struggles of gun violence if you’re not in the field or in the heart of it. One thing I learned about working with Vice President Harris is she’s always standing on business,” he said. Megan Thee Stallion was also present, performing a mini-concert for all in attendance.