JD Vance calls Trump's offer to debate Harris on Fox News ‘masterstroke’

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on Saturday called former President Trump’s offer to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News in September a "masterstroke."

"I think it's great," Trump’s vice presidential pick told SiriusXM’s "Breitbart News Saturday." "In some ways, it's a masterstroke because, of course, the Kamala campaign has been saying for a long time that President Trump is afraid to debate Kamala Harris, which, of course, is absurd because the last time he debated their nominee, that nominee withdrew two weeks later." 

President Biden pulled out of the race and endorsed Harris as the nominee last month after his weak debate performance in late June drew concerns from Democrats.

Late Friday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest. 

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"The FoxNews Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined. The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!"

Trump and Biden had previously been scheduled to debate on Sept. 10 on ABC. 

Vance said Trump has "fairly" said about the previously scheduled debate, "I’m not going to do a debate before the Democratic National Convention because maybe they’ll switch out their nominee again." 

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19-22. 

The Ohio senator added that Trump was "throwing down the gauntlet of ‘I was willing to go to CNN,' which is far more hostile to him than any network would be to Kamala Harris, and ‘Kamala Harris, why don’t you come and agree to a debate.

"The thing that we've learned about Kamala, Matt, over the last four years, is she's incredibly bad if she's not scripted, right?" 

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Vance added that the final reason he’s thinks "it’s so smart for the president" to want an audience at the debate is "he really feeds off of human beings, which is like natural and normal for a political leader.

"You're supposed to lead people, and to lead people you actually have to sort of like people and engage with them well," he said. "So, him having a crowd for this debate, I think, is really important because it will show his natural leadership ability. And it also shows, frankly, that people are kind of turned off by Kamala Harris. So, I think it's good. Hopefully, it happens, and hopefully Kamala Harris agrees to it. If she doesn't, then, clearly, she's the one who's afraid to debate."

Harris hit back at Trump’s offer for a new debate on X Saturday, writing, "It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’ I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there."

In the spring, Trump had called on Biden for a debate "any time, any place." 

"Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out," Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler told Fox News Digital. "He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10."

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Tyler said Harris would be at the previously scheduled ABC debate "one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a primetime national audience. We’re happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to. Mr. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace should have no problem with that unless he’s too scared to show up on the 10th."