In the midst of an ongoing Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump is so far refusing to debate his fellow opponents. But he is apparently willing to debate Meghan Markle.
Markle was an actress of minor celebrity who became famous by marrying into the royal family, and then she went on to become the most famous Karen in the country. Why exactly does that mean she is, in Trump’s estimation, worth his time to debate?
And debate, what, exactly?
“I didn’t like the way she dealt with the queen,” Trump said during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Wednesday.
“I’d love to debate her,” he said. “I would love it. I disagree so much with what they’re doing.”
So what? Does anyone in the world need to see Donald Trump debate Meghan Markle? In what universe does this seem like something a former president and current candidate for president should be suggesting, even in jest?
Sadly, I don’t think it’s a joke at all. And that’s the worst thing about it.
Last month, Donald Trump made the controversial decision to skip the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee, Wis. His excuses were plentiful. But be it because the debate was broadcast on Fox News (and he’s not a big fan of Fox News these days) or because he didn’t think candidates with 1% support in the polls deserved to be included (which is at least a fair point), Trump chose instead to prerecord an interview with Tucker Carlson that aired at the same time. Despite the high number of views the interview accumulated on X (formerly known as Twitter), it’s debatable which event was actually watched by more people. Trump recently kept the door open for participating in a future debate, though I am not convinced he actually will.
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One thing is for sure: Trump has shown more interest in a vanity debate with Markle than he has in debating his GOP opponents, which feels to me as though his priorities are severely out of whack. Why does he care more about a meaningless media stunt than giving Republican voters the debates they deserve to have? Our country is in crisis, and yet Trump would “love to debate” Markle rather than discuss the issues and debate his record. It just doesn’t make any sense. We know he can handle himself fine in a debate.
Does Trump think that debating Markle over something that doesn’t matter in the daily lives of Americans is a good look? Time and time again, Trump doesn’t act like he’s taking the election seriously.
Markle may have married into the royal family, but Trump is the one who feels entitled to a coronation.
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