Buttigieg: Trump shows ‘weakness’ in not wanting to debate Harris

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has joined other Democrats in attempting to goad former President Trump into debating Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, in the coming weeks, suggesting Trump is “afraid” of his new rival.

Trump’s team has said the 78-year-old former president will not agree to debate at this time because of the rapidly evolving campaign landscape. President Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid less than a week ago and quickly endorsed Harris, 59, to take his spot at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Buttigieg, during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday, suggested there may be more to Trump’s decision to dodge after previously agreeing to debate then-presumptive nominee Biden on Sept. 10.

“Tough talk is this guy’s calling card and now there’s this extraordinary show of weakness,” said Buttigieg, who is suspected to be a top contender to become Harris’s running mate. “[Trump] said anytime, anyplace, but more than that, he agreed to this specific debate, on this specific network, on this specific date, and now he’s pulling out.”

“It shows that he’s afraid,” he added.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is also reportedly on Harris’s VP shortlist, posted on the social platform X that Trump “is now afraid of debating” Harris.

“He’s scared because he can’t run away from his record any longer — but here in Pennsylvania, we haven’t forgotten who he is and we aren’t going back,” he wrote.

Harris also joined the taunting of the former president.

“What happened to ‘any time, any place’?” Harris posted on X in response to a post about Trump not committing to debates.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Chung said in a statement Thursday evening that the former president would hold off on committing to any general election debates because of ongoing developments in the Democratic Party.

“Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” Chung said, suggesting without evidence that Harris still may not end up on the November ballot. “It would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds.”

Within days of declaring her candidacy, Harris earned enough support from delegates for the Democratic nomination through pledged delegate votes. Democratic Party leaders plan to formalize the nomination through a virtual roll call in early August. Harris has until Aug. 7 to select a running mate. Sources have confirmed to The Hill her team has begun vetting potential picks.

The Trump team’s statement came before former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama endorsed Harris on Friday.

In the Thursday statement, Chung cited the then-absence of Obama’s endorsement as a sign of weak support within the party for Harris’s nomination.

Trump notably dodged all of the GOP primary debates held last fall when he was the clear front-runner for the nomination.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was seeking the Republican nomination a second time without success, called Trump out during a televised debate on Fox Business with other GOP candidates in September.

“If you keep dodging, we won’t call you Donald Trump, we’ll call you Donald Duck,” Christie said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has since endorsed Trump, also blasted the former president for being “missing in action.”

“He should be here on this stage tonight,” he said. “He owes it to you to defend his record.”

Their needling didn’t work, and Christie, DeSantis and the other Republicans gradually dropped their campaigns without ever facing Trump in the 2024 primary debate. Trump often cited his massive lead in the primary polls for the decision.

“When you’re 40 points up … why would I let these people take shots at me?” he said in an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier last summer.

The Hill and Decision Desk HQ’s polling analysis says Trump currently holds a slight lead over Harris in the infancy of her campaign.