Trump Spokesperson’s Boast About Him On Newsmax Prompts Super Awkward Question

Lee Moran

Updated 7 August 2024 at 8:12 am·1-min read

Donald Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt claimed on Newsmax on Tuesday that the former president and current GOP nominee will “never back down from the hostile, fake news media.”

“He’s not afraid,” Leavitt declared on the “National Report” show.

But Leavitt was forced to almost immediately move the goalposts when asked why Trump had refused to debate presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the ABC News-hosted event on Sept. 10, which Trump had previously agreed to attend against President Joe Biden before Biden nixed his campaign and endorsed Harris to replace him. Trump has often described ABC News as “fake news” and has offered to debate Harris on Fox News, however.

“Do you have an answer for that? Does he [Trump] have an answer for that?” Leavitt was asked.

“Yes, we do,” Leavitt replied. “Well, first of all, that debate was committed between President Trump and Joe Biden.”

“The race has changed,” she added.

The awkward moment for Leavitt was seized on by the Harris campaign, which shared the exchange on social media:

Trump press secretary: Trump will never back down from the hostile media!

Newsmax host: Then why won’t he debate on ABC, the debate he committed to?

Trump press secretary: W-well... The race has changed... pic.twitter.com/ycGRoG73aa
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024

Leavitt was similarly mocked in June for saying Trump is “continuing to engage in hostile media interviews with the press” — despite, at the time, Trump’s reluctance to engage with networks who can cover him critically.

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