Trump challenges Biden to another debate this week and golf match during Florida rally
Donald Trump challenged Joe Biden to another presidential debate “this week” and a golf match that he claimed would be “bigger than the Ryder Cup or even the Masters” during his latest campaign rally.
Trump said he wanted to take on Biden in a debate that would be “man to man, no moderators, no holds barred.”
The former president took to the stage at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida — which he described as “one of the greatest golf courses on Earth” — in front of a large cheering crowd on Tuesday night.
At his first major rally in more than a week, Trump blasted President Biden for his poor performance in their debate last month, saying that it had been “even according to the fake news media, the most decisive and overwhelming defeat in the history of presidential debates.”
Biden has remained adamant that he will stay on in the race for the White House, challenging senior Democrats to run against him at the Democratic National Convention, and saying that only “The Lord Almighty” could stop him from running.
“Even CNN said as I walked off the stage that it was one of the greatest performances they’ve ever seen. But it was sort of easy if you want to know the truth,” Trump told supporters in Miami.
“But don’t feel sorry for he’s a very bad guy. He weaponized government. Remember that — he’s a very bad guy. Don’t feel sorry for him. So tonight, I’m officially offering Joe the chance to redeem himself in front of the entire world,” Trump said.
“Let’s do another debate this week — so that sleepy Joe Biden can prove to everyone all over the world that he has what it takes to be president,” he added. “But this time, it will be man to man, no moderators, no holds barred, just name the place, any time.”
The first presidential debate in Atlanta on June 27 was widely seen as disastrous for Biden, 81, and has led to questions about his fitness to lead and ability to win reelection even within his own party.
Trump, 78, went on to challenge Biden to an “18-hole golf match”, something the two men clashed over bizarrely during the debate.
“It will be among the most watched sporting events in history, maybe bigger than the Ryder Cup or even the Masters,” Trump declared.
“I will even give Joe Biden 10 strokes a side. 10 strokes, that’s a lot. That means 20 strokes in case you don’t play golf. I will give him 10 strokes a side and if he wins, I will give the charity of his choice, any charity that he wants, $1 million.”
Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer said Trump “hasn’t been seen in public for 12 days” and is now “challenging the President of the United State to play golf.”
Singer said the president would instead challenge Trump to create jobs, stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and not break the law.
“Joe Biden doesn’t have time for Trump’s weird antics,” he said in a statement. “He’s busy leading America and defending the free world.”
A day after the debate with Biden, Trump performed somewhat of a victory lap in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he piled in on the president, deriding him as “grossly incompetent” and a “train wreck.”
“The question every voter should be asking themselves today is not whether Joe Biden can survive a 90-minute debate performance, but whether America can survive four more years of crooked Joe Biden the White House,” Trump said from Virginia on June 28.
“In fact, I don’t know if we can really survive five more months.”
Indeed, the president has faced multiple calls, both publicly and privately from senior members of his own party, while the eyes of the world are on him during this week’s NATO summit in Washington DC.
A new poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris now has a better shot than Biden at defeating Trump in the 2024 election. The survey, conducted by the Democratic firm Bendixen & Amandi, showed Biden slightly behind Trump, 42 to 43 percent, with Harris inching past the former president 42 to 41 percent.
Trump is expected to name his pick for vice president shortly, with just one week to go before the Republican National Convention on July 14.
Ohio Senator JD Vance and Florida Senator Marco Rubio are leading contenders to join Trump on the Republican ticket, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters, with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also still in the mix.
Remarking on the amount of press attending his rally in Florida, Trump speculated that it was only due to the anticipation surrounding his choice for vice president.
“I think they probably think I’m going to be announcing that Marco [Rubio] is going to be vice president because that’s a lot of press. That’s a lot of press,” he said, though did not make any further announcement.