This is a far better option. Holding a debate without the other candidate is fodder for Trump to do the same on ONN or Fox News. But holding a town hall and inviting Trump as an optional attendee would create engagement, and either Trump will ignore it, join the same one, or hold his own and most likely screw up his own.
“Mr. Trump, people are saying immigrants are flooding across our borders to eat our pets before receiving sexual reassignment surgery in prison. Do you have a concept of a plan how to deal with this?”
It looks like he already had at least one called a town hall coordinated with FOX News a week ago. It looks like he only answered questions from Hannity and not the audience full of supporters, so they couldn’t even pull off the handpicked shills pretend town hall format.
She needs to still show up as scheduled, say that just because trump won’t make time for the American people doesn’t mean she will ignore them
That reminds of the 2020 presidential election in Poland when both candidates did exactly what you describe - they debated at the same time but in separate studios. And the story how it came to that is wild.
This was after the first round of the elections (where two candidates are selected for the second round), which involved things like last-minute rescheduling of the elections, last-minute candidate swap and effectively throwing away 20 million dollars of public money. Currently there are several criminal investigations conducted against people involved in organisation of that first round. And of course it was all in the middle of the pandemic. So the political chaos was at its absolute peak.
The two candidates were the country’s president representing then ruling party and capital city’s mayor representing then biggest opposition party. Both of course wanted the debate. The issue was that then ruling party turned the public broadcaster into a party propaganda machine compared by experts to that created by Goebbels. And the core of that propaganda was that the second biggest (private) broadcaster in Poland (owned by Discovery Group) is anti-Polish and cannot be trusted.
Both broadcasters offered they can organise the debate. The private one I believe was also willing to jointly host it. But the ruling party candidate couldn’t agree to a debate hosted by the private broadcaster because that would significantly impact the propaganda and expose his many wrongdoings to the manipulated ruling party voters.
On the other hand, the opposition candidate couldn’t agree for the debate hosted only by the public broadcaster because that would effectively be 2 hours of him trying to deny lies spread by hosts and the other candidate.
The 2nd round was coming close and no compromise has been found. So on the same day the two broadcasters prepared their studios for two candidates with audience. Ruling party candidate went to public broadcaster, opposition candidate to private one. Both declared the other as a “no-show” and proceeded to have a “debate” with hosts and audience.
Few days later the opposition candidate lost by a small margin.
I agree. Trump did a townhall when Harris didn’t show up to the first proposed the debate, she should do a townhall to replace the next one if Trump ultimately does not show. It’d be a great way to quell complaints that she is afraid of speaking to the media or press as well.
She needs to still show up as scheduled, say that just because trump won’t make time for the American people doesn’t mean she will ignore them
Either he takes the bait and shows up, or she dominates the news cycle now, before the debate, during the debate, and after it
The whole time trump won’t be able to talk about anything besides the debate and how it’s not “fair”.
It’s the common sense move, so I’ll be surprised to see it, but I hope they do.
Make it a town hall. We really do need to hear questions and answers of serious topics now that the clown has left the big top.
This is a far better option. Holding a debate without the other candidate is fodder for Trump to do the same on ONN or Fox News. But holding a town hall and inviting Trump as an optional attendee would create engagement, and either Trump will ignore it, join the same one, or hold his own and most likely screw up his own.
Win, win, win.
He’d hold his own to a “town” of handpicked shills.
“Mr. Trump, people are saying immigrants are flooding across our borders to eat our pets before receiving sexual reassignment surgery in prison. Do you have a concept of a plan how to deal with this?”
It looks like he already had at least one called a town hall coordinated with FOX News a week ago. It looks like he only answered questions from Hannity and not the audience full of supporters, so they couldn’t even pull off the handpicked shills pretend town hall format.
The moderator should also ask the empty podium the same question they just asked Harris, with a brief pause to emphasize that he is a no-show.
Nah, I’m tired of modern Dems acting like Republicans from a decade ago…
https://i.huffpost.com/gen/1167376/images/o-CLINT-EASTWOOD-EMPTY-CHAIR-facebook.jpg
Most of the commenters calling for Harris to do this were probably in elementary school 10 years ago🤣
it’s not like the filming of empty podiums is ahistorical.
Just treat the debate as normal, but they just swap to the empty podium where Trump should have been.
After the debate they say Trump showed a marked improvement this time.
Clint Eastwood tried that and it was cringey as fuck
Talking to a chair awkwardly is not at all what’s being suggested here
That reminds of the 2020 presidential election in Poland when both candidates did exactly what you describe - they debated at the same time but in separate studios. And the story how it came to that is wild.
This was after the first round of the elections (where two candidates are selected for the second round), which involved things like last-minute rescheduling of the elections, last-minute candidate swap and effectively throwing away 20 million dollars of public money. Currently there are several criminal investigations conducted against people involved in organisation of that first round. And of course it was all in the middle of the pandemic. So the political chaos was at its absolute peak.
The two candidates were the country’s president representing then ruling party and capital city’s mayor representing then biggest opposition party. Both of course wanted the debate. The issue was that then ruling party turned the public broadcaster into a party propaganda machine compared by experts to that created by Goebbels. And the core of that propaganda was that the second biggest (private) broadcaster in Poland (owned by Discovery Group) is anti-Polish and cannot be trusted.
Both broadcasters offered they can organise the debate. The private one I believe was also willing to jointly host it. But the ruling party candidate couldn’t agree to a debate hosted by the private broadcaster because that would significantly impact the propaganda and expose his many wrongdoings to the manipulated ruling party voters.
On the other hand, the opposition candidate couldn’t agree for the debate hosted only by the public broadcaster because that would effectively be 2 hours of him trying to deny lies spread by hosts and the other candidate.
The 2nd round was coming close and no compromise has been found. So on the same day the two broadcasters prepared their studios for two candidates with audience. Ruling party candidate went to public broadcaster, opposition candidate to private one. Both declared the other as a “no-show” and proceeded to have a “debate” with hosts and audience.
Few days later the opposition candidate lost by a small margin.
What a clown show
Just bait him more by attacking his ego
I agree. Trump did a townhall when Harris didn’t show up to the first proposed the debate, she should do a townhall to replace the next one if Trump ultimately does not show. It’d be a great way to quell complaints that she is afraid of speaking to the media or press as well.
To qualify as a proposed debate it would have to be a proposal that a reasonable bystander would take seriously.