With just 90 days to go before the election, Donald Trump’s campaign is starting to acknowledge that it’s going to be a tough race for the White House, as observed by former Obama adviser David Axelrod.
The entry of Vice President Kamala Harris into the 2024 race has shaken things up significantly. Just before President Joe Biden made his decision to step back as the Democratic nominee, Trump and the Republicans appeared to be gaining an upper hand. However, Harris has since leveled the playing field in national polls, bringing fresh energy back to the Democratic base.
Axelrod noted that it seems Trump’s team is beginning to feel the heat from Harris’ surge. In a conversation with CNN’s Erica Hill, he pointed out that Trump’s recent shift in his stance regarding debates indicates that they realize this is a genuine competition.
Axelrod’s comments followed Trump’s appearance on *Fox and Friends*, where he expressed that it’s “important for the country” to debate Harris. This was shortly after he had announced the cancellation of his participation in a debate scheduled for September 10, organized by ABC News. Harris’ team has accused Trump of dodging the opportunity to face her.
“He needs to debate; it’s crucial to gauge where the race stands,” Axelrod added.
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Despite pulling out of the ABC News event, Trump has committed to a debate hosted by Fox News on September 4. Harris, meanwhile, has stated her intention to participate in the September debate, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “I hope to see him there.”
Trump has offered various justifications for skipping the ABC debate, often criticizing the network as “fake news” and has even filed a defamation lawsuit against them. In an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, he suggested that he could “make a case for not” debating Harris, noting that “everyone knows who I am, and now people know who she is.”
On Wednesday, Trump asserted that he “wants” to debate Harris and indicated that they could soon agree on a time and location for the event. “I want to debate her,” he stated on *Fox and Friends*. “I believe it’s important for our country.”