Vice President Kamala Harris doesn't know who her debate opponent will be, but she has already set up a favorable debate venue by accepting an invitation from CBS. According to former President Donald Trump, his campaign has accepted an invitation for the VP debate to be carried on the Fox News Channel in July or August. Trump has already agreed to debate Biden on CNN June 27, and on ABC September 10.
Robert Knight is a conservative activist and a columnist for The Washington Times. While he's pleased Trump has a precondition for that first debate, he's unsure it will even happen.
"Because he's demanding now that President Biden have a drug test before the debate," Knight points out. "In fact, the way he put it was I'm demanding that 'high as a kite' Biden take a drug test.
"I can't imagine Biden would submit to a drug test," he continues. "And if he doesn't, President Trump could just drop out and say [he's] not going to go up against a juiced-up guy. That looks bad for Biden no matter what happens, whether he debates or whether the debate falls apart."
As for the VP debate, Knight says it's not a sure thing Harris will be Biden's running mate – despite agreeing to debate whoever Trump picks as his VP.
"She's the one in line right now, but she's not liked – even by Democrats," he tells AFN. "I think [she] feels real secure looking at who would be conducting the debate, which is the left wing, so-called 'mainstream' media. And same with Joe Biden – I was surprised when Trump agreed to debates on ABC and CNN, both of whom hate Trump, are totally biased, and will not be fair in the debate."
Every state in play?
Debate strategy aside, Trump continued his invasion of "blue" states over the weekend, with a campaign stop in Minnesota after a recent rousing speech in very blue New Jersey.
Minnesota hasn't gone for a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972 – but Trump boasted during a Republican fundraiser Friday night that he can carry the state in November. In fact, he came close to flipping the state in 2016, when he fell 1.5 percentage points short of Hillary Clinton.
Knight thinks it's a brilliant strategy by Trump to go into Democratic strongholds they thought were secure – like New Jersey and Minnesota.
"He gives them a big headache [when he does that] – and there is an outside chance [he could take those states] given the state of the country in the hands of Joe Biden and the Democrats. There's so many things that people hate about Biden's America that every state ought to be in play at this point," Knight concludes.
But Jan Markell, founder and director of Minnesota-based Olive Tree Ministries, isn't so sure.
"I find it very hard to believe Minnesota is in play, partly because of the number of Muslims that have been imported here since the 1990s we are 'Minnesotastan,'" she tells AFN.
"I can't see that Minnesota's ever going to even turn purple …. Were it not for the Islamic factor, that could happen; but I just think because of that, it will never happen."
