The truth isn’t complicated
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff didn’t hold back during a wide-ranging interview with MSNBC this week. When I asked him if he thought Donald Trump was scared to debate his wife, he didn’t mince words: “Yes, he should be.”
The truth is not more complicated than that. Even Fox News anchor Bret Baier agrees that it’s Trump, and not Kamala Harris, who is refusing to explore the possibility of a second debate on Fox News.
At this point in a typical election cycle, candidates and voters are focused on analyzing and rehashing the fall’s three big presidential debates. But Trump’s fear of being embarrassed on the debate stage again means it is increasingly unlikely that he and Harris will reunite for another pre-election matchup.
Emhoff spoke candidly about this debate debacle during our conversation. We also discussed how the rise of antisemitism has taken a personal toll, and the Republican Party’s cowardly response to Mark Robinson.
You can watch our full conversation on tomorrow’s show, at 12 p.m. ET.
A story you should be following: The vice presidential debate
On Oct. 1, vice presidential candidates Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance will meet in New York City for their own debate. The faceoff is one of the last big opportunities for both campaigns to publicly make their case to voters and directly contrast their policies and plans with their opponent’s.
Vice presidential debates rarely move the needle in elections, but this one may be different, particularly for voters who are still trying to learn more about Harris’ vision for the country.
Vance has faced intense scrutiny over the past few months, with critics slamming his comments about Democratic “childless cat ladies” and his refusal to apologize for spreading false stories to attack immigrants. On Instagram, he mocked Walz’s combat record while holding a toy shotgun — an odd position, considering Vance himself wrote in his book that he was “lucky to escape any real fighting” in Iraq while a military journalist in the Marines.
You can expect more attacks from Vance along these lines, including attempts to paint Walz as a “San Francisco-style liberal.” (Trump has previously called Walz a “West Coast wannabe” who aims to “unleash hell on earth.”) I’d argue Walz’s “radical agenda” of making school lunches free for students is not exactly the hell Vance is trying to claim here.
Walz’s team organized a multiday debate camp in rural Michigan to prepare. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is playing Vance in mock sessions, and the candidate is being coached by Michael Tyler and other longtime Walz staffers. Vance has taken a more casual approach, saying he doesn’t “have to prepare that much” for the debate. But he has conducted online sessions with advisers including his wife, Usha Vance, and Jason Miller; Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer is standing in for Walz.
Vance may have his work cut out for him. According to FiveThirtyEight, Vance’s unfavorability average is currently over 45% (with a 34% favorability average).
A race to watch: Rep. Colin Allred vs. Sen. Ted Cruz
In Texas, recent polls show Democratic Rep. Colin Allred seemingly within striking distance of GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, with a Morning Consult poll even placing Allred 1 point ahead. This has prompted the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to launch a major ad buy in the state.
Allred, a former NFL linebacker turned civil rights attorney, was elected to Congress in 2018 after unseating an 11-term Republican incumbent. Prior to serving in Congress, Allred also worked as a special assistant in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel.
The two candidates will debate on Oct. 15. No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994. But with the Lone Star State becoming increasingly competitive, this contest is (suddenly) very interesting.
Jen Psaki is the host of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" airing Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden.