A number of prominent political commentators are openly questioning whether the remaining presidential debates should even go forward, after the first round quickly devolved into President Donald Trump bullying moderator Chris Wallace, repeatedly exceeding his time limit and speaking over his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
When asked if her running mate should go forward with the debates scheduled for next month, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said that he would seize any chance presented to him to address the American people.
“Joe Biden is never going to refuse to talk to the American people and have any opportunity that he can to speak directly to American families and speak about the issues — speak the truth,” Harris told CNN in an interview.
Although the Biden campaign quickly pushed back on suggestions that Biden should forego debates in Miami and Nashville next month, several commentators questioned the value of a debate that quickly grew chaotic and appeared to mock any semblance of decorum.
There should not be another debate
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) September 30, 2020
RFK said, “It is not enough to allow dissent—we must demand it.” Presidential debates are supposed to show that here in the America we love, a challenger can criticize a President to his face. Tonight showed that yet another sacred democratic institution has now been fractured.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 30, 2020
Biden won going away. And another million women decided never to vote R again. Trump was his usual unhinged bully. Truly frightful. Mostly however this was a disastrous, incoherent debate, one Wallace should be ashamed to have "moderated."
— Jennifer 'Vote Early' Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) September 30, 2020
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany swooped in late last night, suggesting that equivocating about the debates stemmed from concerns from Democrats that their candidate had performed poorly.
“Should there be anymore debates?” the Liberal, Biden-loving Fake News Media suddenly asks in unison.
That is NOT a question you ask if your candidate wins!
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 30, 2020
Late last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appearing to predict Trump’s bullying and deliberate intent to mislead said that she wouldn’t “legitimize” a conversation with the President.
“I do not think the President of the United States has comported himself in a way that has any association with the truth, evidence, data, and facts. I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with him, nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States.”
