Trump supporters want him to debate Kamala Harris. They told me why.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Should former President Donald Trump debate Vice President Kamala Harris, now that she's the presumptive Democratic nominee for president?
That's what I asked Trump fans as they rallied for him Wednesday in Harrisburg, capital of swing-state Pennsylvania. Everyone I spoke to wanted to see Trump take on Harris. They were certain he'd come out a winner, even as they echoed his everlasting claims of unfair treatment.
Trump, who committed in May to a Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News, now won't say if he'll show up. That was planned as a debate with President Joe Biden, who dropped his bid for a second term 12 days ago and endorsed Harris.
Trump is now complaining about the host network, claiming that ABC News won't be fair to him. He ratcheted that up Wednesday, again attacking the network while speaking in racist terms about Harris during an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists' convention.
The Trump supporters I spoke to Wednesday predicted that Harris will perform better than Biden, who had a calamitous debate performance against Trump in June that helped contribute to his decision to leave the race. But, again, they leaned into Trump's ill-defined grievances about unfair treatment to predict more of the same.
Those supporters were also – mostly – behind Trump's decision to pick U.S. Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, despite the rocky rollout for the Ohio Republican with a long and truly weird history of suggesting that people with no children should have less political power in America.
I came away suspecting those voters will back Vance unless Trump changes his mind. Then they'd drop him like a hot rock.
Trump supporters are enthusiastic about how he would do against Harris
Joshua Hoke, 43, of Palmyra, echoed Trump's complaints that the debate should instead be with Fox News, where right-wing hosts have shown the former one-termer a decade of deference.
"I think Trump should be able to debate Kamala Harris on his terms this time because the last time it was based on their terms," Hoke said of Trump's debate with Biden on June 27, hosted by CNN. "They were pretty fair for the debate, for the most part, but I feel some of the questions were a direct attack towards him."
Dean Lake, 31, of Red Lion, said a Trump-Harris debate could create more upheaval within the Democratic Party. He's in favor of that.
Trump is back on his racism: Trump's racism at NABJ was revolting. It was all calculated for his MAGA fan base.
"Because he's going to own her in a debate, just like he did Biden," Lake said. "And then after he owns her, maybe she'll jump out of the race also."
Deb Kirk, 68, of York, said a debate would be good for voters deciding on who will be the next president.
"I hope they stick to policy and not catfighting," Kirk added.
Trump fans don't think Harris can hold her own in a debate
How would a Trump debate with Harris be different than his June matchup against Biden? Trump's backers told me they don't think much of the vice president but are sure she'd do better than Biden.
"Kamala has some cognitive thoughts," said Kathy Hamilton, 63, of Chambersburg. "She doesn't speak well, but she has some cognitive thoughts, unlike President Biden."
Patrick Kirk, 34, of Pittsburgh, said all candidates should be heard.
"I'm hoping that Kamala might spice things up a bit," Kirk said. "Maybe give (Trump) a little something more to engage with."
Eugene Wild, 70, of Cuba, New York, said Harris harms herself every time she speaks in public. And he said the first debate was monopolized by people critiquing Biden's performance.
Then I asked about JD Vance. The response was, shall we say, mixed.
The response when I asked about Trump picking Vance as a running mate ranged from a little antsy to absolutely sure it was the best decision. Vance's first two weeks on the ticket have been a mess, prompting concern among some Republicans that the first-term senator is a political deadweight now chained to Trump.
"I think what the public has dug up, what I'm reading, I do question that myself," said Nancy Wheeland, 55, of New Columbia, Pennsylvania. when I asked if Trump should reconsider his ticket. "But I think JD is a good guy and I think we should keep him."
Hoke said he was "skeptical" at first about Vance because he didn't know much about him.
"I'm taking a liking to him," Hoke said. "He's a modern-day American like any of us. He's a hark worker."
Lake said he's "not a huge fan" of Vance, but "hopefully he can turn it around here for us."
About JD Vance: Nobody likes Vance and his 'cat lady' misogyny. Trump needs to dump him, fast.
Wild said this about concerns for Vance's previous comments: "All that stuff is trumped up, no pun intended."
Trump's messaging on Harris has already taken hold with his base
I noticed a few things while talking with Trump's fans inside the raucous arena that serves as home the the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Only one of them pronounced Harris' first name correctly. The rest seemed to have adopted Trump's intentional mispronunciations of Kamala, like many Republican members of Congress.
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And they seemed very confident in Trump's chances, despite the political tumult in the race, with Harris now showing signs of catching up or even pushing past him in swing-state polls.
They've also dialed in on one particular Trump attack about Harris, which he repeated at Wednesday's rally, calling her "a radical left puppet candidate," which ignores her résumé as a district attorney, state attorney general, U.S. senator and vice president.
"She's going to be handfed all the answers from some puppets in Washington," Laura Rice, 61, of Chambersburg predicted when I asked whether there would be a debate. "I'm not sure who that group is."
I'm not sure, either, or even if such a group exists. But Trump pitches that sort of claim and the folks at his rallies are ready and eager to run with it.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump is dodging a Harris debate – even if his supporters want it
