Debates? Just Say NO!

As we march toward the 2024 Presidential Election, the political circus that is American democracy prepares for its main event: the debates. Or, at least, that’s what we’ve been conditioned to expect. But let’s be honest—does anyone really believe that a Trump-Harris debate would accomplish anything meaningful? More importantly, would either candidate gain anything from it? Spoiler alert: the answer is a resounding “No.”

Donald Trump: The Ultimate Dodger

First up, we have Donald Trump. The man has made an art form out of avoiding accountability. He’s the Houdini of dodging direct questions, an expert in transforming debates into reality TV drama rather than substantive discussions. Remember his 2020 debates with Joe Biden? If you were hoping for a deep dive into policy, you were probably disappointed when it turned into a shouting match resembling a family Thanksgiving argument where no one gets dessert.

For Trump, debating Kamala Harris would be a strategic disaster. The man thrives on control, not confrontation. He needs the freedom to spin his narrative without those pesky little interruptions called "facts." In a debate, he risks exposing his vulnerabilities—namely, a total disregard for details and an uncanny ability to contradict himself within the same sentence. Instead of debating, Trump’s best move is to stick to his Twitter-style rallies where he can feed his base with sound bites and avoid any real challenge to his loosely cobbled-together policies.

Kamala Harris: The Cautious Politician

On the other side of the ring, we have Kamala Harris, who has her own reasons to avoid a face-to-face with Trump. Let’s not forget, Harris is a former prosecutor, and that title alone should make her an ideal debater. Yet, her debate performances during the Democratic primaries were less "commanding the courtroom" and more "awkward courtroom drama." In those moments, she was criticized for either going too hard or, paradoxically, not hard enough. It’s the political equivalent of Goldilocks never finding the porridge that’s just right.

A debate with Trump would force Harris to walk a tightrope, balancing her natural inclination to go on the offensive with the need to appear presidential. One wrong move, one poorly timed laugh, or one overly aggressive comment, and she risks alienating key voters who already perceive her as too harsh or, conversely, too soft. It’s a lose-lose situation. Better for Harris to stay out of the ring and let Trump flail in his own self-inflicted chaos.

Debates: An Outdated Tradition

Let’s face it: presidential debates have become more spectacle than substance. They offer little in the way of meaningful policy discussion and are more about who can land the best zinger or who can survive a barrage of attacks without visibly sweating through their suit. Debates were designed for a time when voters got their information from newspapers and maybe a few radio broadcasts—not from an endless stream of social media hot takes and 24/7 news cycles.

In this environment, debates do more harm than good. They force candidates into a gladiatorial arena where style trumps substance, and the victor is often the one who can deliver the most memorable one-liner, not the one who has the best grasp of the issues. And let’s be real, neither Trump nor Harris has shown a penchant for nuance or deep policy analysis. Their talents lie elsewhere—Trump in whipping up his base with populist rhetoric, and Harris in toeing the Democratic line while avoiding major gaffes.

The Real Winner: No One

If Trump and Harris are smart—and let’s give them the benefit of the doubt here—they’ll both decline any invitation to debate. Trump will say the media is biased, Harris will say she doesn’t want to legitimize his platform, and they’ll both be right in their own way. The American public? They’ll be left with the same empty feeling they had after the last debates, realizing that these political sparring matches offer little more than fodder for late-night comedy shows and Twitter threads.

So, let’s skip the debates and focus on what really matters: who can game the system the best. Because if 2024 has taught us anything, it’s that the political arena isn’t about governance or policy—it’s about survival. And both Trump and Harris know that the best way to survive is to avoid a debate altogether.