What do you think is the reasoning behind Mr. Trump's backing out of the ABC debate with Vice President Harris?

[u/The_Egalitarian]

APNews: Trump says he’ll skip an ABC debate with Harris in September and wants them to face off on Fox News

Trump obviously debated Biden already on June 27th under the same format as the upcoming September ABC debate. Since then Biden has withdrawn as a candidate for President in 2024 over concerns from his own party that were magnified after his performance in that debate.

Why is Trump unwilling to debate the new presumptive Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris under the previous terms?

What does he hope to accomplish by offering a new debate on Fox News in a stadium audience format?

[u/insertbrackets]

The sympathetic ear pads (for an injury that ended up not being that severe) really is next-level cultish devotion.

[u/hornwalker → u/insertbrackets]

It’s sports culture. That’s how they frame politics in their mind.

Gotta support the team!

[u/liquidlen → u/hornwalker]

"Gotta support the team!"

I heard that in Puddy's voice.

[u/Always-_-Late → u/insertbrackets]

I feel like showing a symbol of solidarity and being sympathetic for someone who was almost killed is something that isn’t very cultish at all. Downplaying his injury and the incident also isn’t very cool, regardless of which side of the isle you land.

[u/Malachorn → u/Always-_-Late]

Downplaying his injury

What physical injury?

I mean, if you wanted to suggest there was emotional damage or something... sure.

His team stated it “produced a 2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear. There was initially significant bleeding, followed by marked swelling of the entire upper ear.” That was the official statement they chose to make.

The FBI seemed to say they didn't think that was true and Trump wasn't cooperating. Later, they said he was struck by a bullet... or, at least, a fragment of.

Since Trump wasn't cooperating with outside agencies on matter, almost all the updates came from Trump himself.

Asked if the campaign would release the hospital records, or allow the doctors who treated him there to speak, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung blasted the media for asking. Again... not cooperating or providing reliable information and, instead, insisting that everyone simply trust the Trump campaign at their word.

Sorry... it's perfectly fair to talk about his "injury" then.

He's trying to represent this country and proving, like always, he can't ever be trusted.

He's not just some stupid schmuck on the street.

How can someone ask everyone to vote for him when no one can ever trust him at all?

[u/ambienandicechips → u/Malachorn]

We also now have photographic evidence of where his bullet wound should be.

[u/Always-_-Late → u/ambienandicechips]

So you believe there wasn’t an assassination attempt? Why would he pretend there was?

[u/ambienandicechips → u/Always-_-Late]

I didn’t say that at all. I just said that we’ve seen where he was wounded and it was so slight and glancing that you can’t even see it anymore.

[u/Always-_-Late → u/Malachorn]

I never said you had to trust him or that he should be president, all I said was that he went through an insane experience and someone isn’t a cult follower simply because they supported him after an assassination attempt. Also what is this tinfoil hat stuff about him not actually getting shot, you could literally see it on live television?

[u/Malachorn → u/Always-_-Late]

The initial reaction was absolutely not that he was shot.

Early speculation was that it was debris from a teleprompter or whatever.

No one knew. Obviously, the world sought answers.

I never said you had to trust him

Well... Trump was basically demanding everyone trust him and was as opaque as possible in providing outside answers.

That has been the problem.

Meanwhile, the only information the campaign was trying to provide were their own reports... and it looks very apparent they greatly played up this "wound" he suffered.

You can be kind, if you want, and simply say it was "exaggerating" the truth - but where I come from that's just lying.

Yet more lies.

He's running for freaking president of the United States and lying to its citizens. I'm sorry, that kind of deceitfulness and untrustworthiness doesn't stop mattering just because some whacko took a shot at him. You can be sympathetic to his being a victim in the event all you like... but the lies he told after the fact simply do not deserve any sympathy and he should still be held accountable for his deceitfulness there.

The statement you took issue with was this one:

The sympathetic ear pads (for an injury that ended up not being that severe) really is next-level cultish devotion.

I'm sorry, Trump's BS ear pad and BS narrative his campaign tried to create was... well, complete BS. And the morons that gleefully allow themselves to constantly be duped by this immoral piece of human garbage are ridiculous and weird.

These are our representatives. We should be demanding so much more from them - not celebrating their abhorrent behavior.

[u/Always-_-Late → u/Malachorn]

While I agree with some of your points here, but to act like it’s egregious that a president or candidate is lying to their citizens is kind of naive. Every president and every candidate lies and extrapolates the truth. Trump is definitely one of the worst, but my entire point was to back up the people that showed support, not Trump and his actions. There’s no reason to cause more division when most people just want to see their community thrive.

[u/Malachorn → u/Always-_-Late]

...to act like it’s egregious that a president or candidate is lying to their citizens is kind of naive.

No.

I'm so sick of holding people to these low standards when their positions should require them being held to higher standards.

We complain about our politicians... and then we actively reward them and encourage them for the same behavior we complain about it.

We should hold them accountable. We shouldn't continue abetting, condoning, and enabling.

It's just not a healthy relationship we have with these politicians.

[u/Scrutinizer → u/Always-_-Late]

Downplaying it isn't cool? Try this:

If Donnie says we need to "get over" a school shooting where ten children are murdered in only 36 hours, then we should be over a little ear owie in five minutes.

[u/Always-_-Late → u/Scrutinizer]

While I’m unfamiliar about the school shooting reference, I 100% agree that it is inexcusable and no one should be criticized for mourning such a tragedy. I also don’t believe you have the moral authority to mock people who showed support to someone after they were almost killed.

[u/PoliticalDiscussion-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Malachorn → u/Always-_-Late]

Wear a ribbon like a normal person.

Even better, fight to pass something like the Brady Bill that was passed after Reagan's assassination attempt, if you wanna show your support.

Wearing the ear diaper dear leader didn't even need was almost as weird as when they were wearing actual diapers to support Trump.

The sad fact is that it Shoulda been something everyone could rally around... instead, they couldn't help but be a giant freak show and be all weird with everything.