“I Would Have Preferred a Debate,” Trump Says, as He Criticizes Debate Conditions in Fox News Interview
Ohio. | Joe Maiorana/AP
Former President Donald Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with polls showing a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris and voiced frustration over the format of an upcoming debate during a Fox News interview on Wednesday in Pennsylvania.
In a discussion with Fox News host Sean Hannity, held in front of a cheering crowd in Harrisburg, Trump renewed his commitment to a large-scale deportation plan if re-elected and criticized Harris for her past stance on fracking. The interview, which had been promoted as a town hall but did not include audience participation, followed Harris rejecting Trump’s proposal for a Fox News debate on the same date.
“I think he’s a nice guy, but I would have preferred a debate,” Trump said of Hannity. “But this is the best we could do, Sean.” Trump took issue with the upcoming 90-minute debate scheduled for Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, hosted by ABC. He referred to ABC News as “the most dishonest network, the meanest, the nastiest,” and accused the network, without evidence, of planning to share questions with Harris ahead of the debate. Hannity suggested he should host the debate instead.
The former president also made claims about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s family, suggesting that some of Walz’s relatives were endorsing him. A photo posted by Charles Herbster, a former Republican candidate for Nebraska governor, showed Walz’s second cousins wearing Trump shirts. However, Walz’s sister, Sandy Dietrich, clarified that their family was not particularly close to that branch and confirmed she would be voting for the Democratic ticket.
Polls cited by Hannity indicated a close race between Trump and Harris, but Trump was skeptical. “I hear the polls are very close, and we have a little lead,” Trump said. “I just find it hard to believe, because first of all, they’ve been so bad.”
Throughout the interview, Trump continued to cast doubt on polls and election results that do not favor him. Reflecting on the 2020 election, he maintained that he had done “much better” than in 2016, despite losing to Joe Biden. Trump also criticized Harris’ entry into the race following Biden’s withdrawal, calling it “a coup” against the former president.
In addition to debating concerns, Trump returned to one of his signature topics: immigration. He repeated claims that immigrants entering the country illegally were a danger to public safety and programs like Medicare and Social Security, describing them as a threat to the nation. “These people are so bad,” Trump said. “They’re so dangerous. What they’ve done to our country is they’re destroying our country. And we can’t let this happen.” He also mentioned a widely disputed claim that Venezuelan immigrants had taken over an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, which residents have refuted.
