“If You’re Too Weak to Debate, You’re Too Weak to Lead,” Harris Campaign Fires Back at Trump Using His Own Words
(CNN)
A resurfaced 2011 clip of Donald Trump criticizing debate-dodging candidates has reignited political tensions between the Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns. The clip, uncovered by CNN’s KFile, shows Trump denigrating candidates for lacking the “courage” to participate in debates, comments that Harris’s team used to jab the former president over his refusal to agree to a second debate in the 2024 election cycle.
The clip, from a Dec. 9, 2011, interview with Don Imus on Fox Business, features Trump expressing disdain for candidates who avoided debates. “I don’t want to say who, but there are a couple of—” Trump begins before being interrupted by Imus, who says, “We know who, we know who they are.”
Trump continues, describing how some candidates told him they were “too nervous” to debate. “‘Donald, I’m just too nervous to do it.’ And I’m saying to myself, here’s the guy that’s supposed to negotiate, or a person that’s supposed to negotiate against China. These guys come out of the womb. They never cry. You know, they’re not even crying. And we have guys that are afraid to go into a debate.”
Ironically, Trump himself has decided not to participate in any further debates during the 2024 election cycle. Following his widely criticized performance in a debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, he declared on his Truth Social app, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” The decision left many questioning whether Trump’s avoidance of additional debates was an attempt to shield himself from further scrutiny.
Both presidential campaigns quickly responded to the resurfaced clip, offering dueling perspectives. The Harris campaign seized the opportunity to turn Trump’s own words against him.
“You don’t hear us say it very often, but he was right back then,” said Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign. “If you’re too weak to share a debate stage with your opponent, you’re too weak to lead the country.” Moussa’s remark highlights the irony in Trump’s past statements about debate dodging, given his current refusal to participate in further debates.
The Trump campaign, however, took a different approach, framing Trump’s decision as one made from a position of strength rather than avoidance. Brian Hughes, a senior adviser for Trump’s campaign, dismissed the criticism, claiming Trump had already proven himself.
“President Trump has already won two debates this election cycle and he’s proven he is the best negotiator on the world stage,” Hughes said. This statement aligns with the narrative the Trump team has consistently pushed—that the former president is a strong leader who doesn’t need to engage in additional debates to demonstrate his qualifications.
The resurfacing of Trump’s 2011 comments has added fuel to the ongoing back-and-forth between the two campaigns, particularly over issues of leadership and transparency. For Harris’s team, the clip serves as a reminder that even Trump once considered debate avoidance a sign of weakness—a stance they’re now using to challenge his refusal to continue debating. Meanwhile, Trump’s camp continues to paint him as a victor, reinforcing their message that further debates are unnecessary.
As the 2024 election approaches, this exchange underscores how both campaigns are positioning themselves in the public eye, with debates—both literal and rhetorical—at the center of the narrative.
