Donald Trump flubbed the last debate. His allies know it, his fundraisers know it—but that doesn’t mean they’re willing to admit it.

On Thursday, the Republican presidential nominee announced that he had decided not to debate Vice President Kamala Harris for a second time, writing in a lengthy rant on Truth Social that “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” (Apparently he’s counting his debate against Joe Biden.)

But less than 24 hours after the major reversal, Trump’s team was already working to explain away why the country would be getting less of their candidate.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    Not the first time he’s run from a debate.

    Back before the 2016 election Trump challenged Bernie Sanders to a debate. Bernie accepted and Trump had to backtrack.

    • chingadera@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I just wanna know how all the “tough guy/anti-snowflake” types all landed on the worlds most massive pussy/coward, and thought “here’s our guy, he’s a business man, the only job the whole world that carries the well known and somehow normalized intent to fuck you over no matter what for a dollar. He’ll look out for my interests.”

      Most gullible turds speedrun any% world record.

          • Juvyn00b@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            You’re right. It’s not that someone can’t admit they’re wrong, is that they’d rather double down because they think others are wrong and that makes the feel good in their brain happen.

          • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            Unhappily, a certain number are probably going to go full domestic terrorist. Look at the people threatening Springfeild, Ohio because the residents all told the media that Trump was lying when he talked about the mobs of Haitian pet eaters. They closed down a couple of schools with bomb threats.

            • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              Well yeah. Remember the Jan 6 shit. That was genuinely scary. They can do much worse than bomb threats. America is fucked and I don’t know how you fix this.

  • Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io
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    3 months ago

    Ah ha ha ha! That’s the funniest thing, most wonderful thing I’ve heard all week. Keep the GOP scrambling, keep them on the defensive. Brilliant!

  • zephorah@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    He was so thrown off. Debate summary:

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    Kamala: This is a man easily led around by his ego by people like Putin and Kim Jong Un.

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    Trump: But immigrants. Democrats kill babies after they’re born.

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    Moderator: Sir, in none of the 50 states are they killing babies after they are born.

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    Trump: But immigrants. Kamala isn’t about law and order.

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    Kamala: I’ve locked people up. I’ll lock you up.

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    Trump: But immigrants. Kamala wants to take away your guns.

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    Kamala: I own a gun.

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    Moderator: Question Kamala doesn’t want to or can’t answer.

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    Kamala: Let me invite you to one of Trumps rallies. Where the crowd sizes are small and people start to leave out of boredom.

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    Trump: Takes bait, thus proving Kamala’s opening remark.

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    Also Trump: But immigrants. They’re eating the cats and dogs.

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    Moderator: Sir, spoiler alert, they’re not eating the cats and dogs. Per the mayor or Springfield, there are no reports of missing animals.

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    Trump, looking every one of his 78 years: But immigrants. They’re eating the cats and dogs. I saw it on the television.

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    Kamala: … 🙄😮😧🙄😃😄🙄…

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    Moderator: Sir, they’re not eating the cats and dogs.

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    Trump, after debate: I clearly won. The only reason they want another debate is because they lost, that’s what losers do, ask for a rematch.

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    Also, there’s a school of thought out there that Trump has a little crush on Kamala. Creepy, but credible. They’re citing a prior 9/11 memorial get together where you see him on camera more or less asking for an introduction to her. If it’s true, she knows. She’s been gorgeous her whole life, has navigated that garbage for ~45yrs now. She knows. If it’s there she knows. And she stepped into his personal bubble to shake hands at the very start. He was a little startled. If he is indeed crushing, that would set a guy like Trump back on his heels even more so than the usual. He doesn’t even have a shitty little nickname for her, why? Paints the crowd size/bored dig in a new light as well.

    That and she had moderate conservative answers for everything. He didn’t know how to debate that.

    • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Yeah the handshake thing was a power move. I feel like I saw a tiny hesitation before she stepped up to him, probably because you are right about him, she’s a smart woman and has to find him repulsive. But yeah, that handshake put him on the defensive right from the start. And when he started on about people eating cats she seemed honestly amused, which was far more effective than any rebuttal.

      • frunch@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Omg imagine if she did that quick pull trump was doing for a while there? That douche-ey “power move” where he’d begin with a regular handshake then suddenly yank the other person toward him?!? I will always remember that showdown with Trudeau where Trudeau actually prepped with a stance and everything when it came time to shake trump’s hand… And he did not get pulled when donnie tried his cute little stunt, lol

    • Pretzilla@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Re: crushing on her ; yep, he admitted it directly - saying she is very attractive and comparing her looks to Melania

      He then couched it by saying he is ‘prettier’

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      Also, there’s a school of thought out there that Trump has a little crush on Kamala. Creepy, but credible. They’re citing a prior 9/11 memorial get together where you see him on camera more or less asking for an introduction to her.

      Lol if this is true, its one of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard hahahaha…

      My issues is that I can’t even imagine someone as narcissistic as Trump having a “crush” on anyone but himself (or perhaps in the very short term, the last person that buttered him up).

      • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I don’t think he has crushes, I think he has things he wants - and for him some of those ‘things’ are women. At least he didn’t try to grab her by the pussy. He’s such a malignant little fuck.

  • fox2263@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Donald Trump “won” against Biden. Donald Trump wanted to debate him again.

    Donald Trump “won” against Harris. Donald Trump says only the losers want a rematch.

    • psycho_driver@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Donald Trump “won” against Biden. Donald Trump wanted to debate him again.

      The American people lost that debate.

        • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Yeah. The change was necessary. I’m not sure the Dems had a real chance with Biden. Even with Harris the polls look like a toss up. Harris seems like a huge improvement over Biden but trump still has his legions of idiot voters. And I gotta say, huge respect for Biden for seeing the way the winds of change were blowing and deciding to step back for the sake of the country. Can you imagine trump having that sort of humility and patriotism? Trump couldn’t even spell humility.

        • psycho_driver@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Two old dottering men. One shouting at the sky, the other looking like he’d rather be making ice cream cones for his grand kids.

  • VubDapple@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, brave Sir Donald turned about And gallantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet, He beat a very brave retreat, Bravest of the brave, Sir Donald.

  • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Donald Trump flubbed the last debate.

    Well that’s certainly one of the more generous renditions of the debate I’ve heard, lol— most everyone else describes it as somewhere between an “evisceration” and a “disembowelment”.

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
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    3 months ago

    When you find yourself in danger, When you’re threatened by a stranger, When it looks like you will take a lickin’, (puk, puk, puk, puk) There is someone waiting, Who will hurry up and rescue you, Just Call for trumpin Chicken! (puk ack!)

  • Jesus@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Trump totally would’ve won that debate if the moderator didn’t fact check immigrants eating Ohio cats.

      • zephorah@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        If he’d just fact check the statistics by, idk, maybe talking to medical personnel, he’d know the late term “abortion” statistics are stillbirth removal. The procedure used to do a stillbirth removal: abortion. That’s where the confusion comes in. Removal of the fetus for any reason is an abortion. Statistics don’t document the details on the procedure.

        So he’s already talking crazy. And then he’s saying they’re executing infants after birth. What is that? How do you even get to that place that those words are allowed to earnestly spill from your mouth?

        • frezik@midwest.social
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          3 months ago

          I’m just trying to imagine a person who goes through 8 months of pregnancy and then decides they don’t want it. If I’m really reaching for something, I have heard from a few women who love the hormone cocktail they get from pregnancy, but I doubt even they would go that far.

          The people who have third trimester abortions aren’t doing it for fun, or even because they have a real choice.

          • zephorah@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            Second Trimester. Those are the happy hormones. Mileage can vary, always, like with those individuals who have morning sickness right up until they give birth, as one example. But high odds for second trimester happy hormones.

        • exanime@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          You may be right about Trump’s confusion, but the removal of a stillbirth is not called abortion

            • exanime@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              Scalpels are used in Apendectomies and plastic surgery… It does not mean all Apendectomies are plastic surgeries because the both use scalpels in the same way digging your backyard to bury a body is very illegal yet digging to put a plant in the grown is not

              The article you post highlights a problem created by poorly written, knee jerk reaction republican law

              Both abortions and stillbirth removal may use similar techniques but, at least in the medical world, they are not both refered to as abortions even if both include induced labour (for example)

              • zephorah@lemm.ee
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                3 months ago

                I’m in the medical industry.

                I’m trying to use non-industry language with a not terrible article to help you understand. But you seem to want to be pedantic regarding some kind of investment in Trump’s words on late term and possibly even post birth “abortion” being a thing when it certainly is not.

                I’ve attempted to educate. You’ve attempted to subvert that and go full bore pedantic. And now I need to go to work.

                • exanime@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  Why does everyone here in Lemmy feel it’s an affront to disagree or clarify something?!

                  I do not care to continue to bend over backwards to interpret and conjure what possible sense Trump may have had. He is spewing hateful bullshit and I will not indulge him filling the blanks. If you want to keep on translating for Trump, that’s on you

                  I’ve attempted to educate.

                  Yeah, I’m the pedantic one here…

                  I have work in the medical field for 20 years; I have yet to hear anyone refer to a dead fetus removal as an abortion. Abortion is defined as the “termination of pregnancy”… when a fetus dies for natural causes, the pregnancy has been terminated; any and all procedures afterwards to safeguard the life of the mother are NOT considered an abortion.

  • Rapidcreek@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The debate results may be profound. Saw long lines waiting at the large Republican enclave of the Villages in Florida. They were waiting for Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, for a meet and greet.