As of: February 7, 2024, 9:44 a.m
By: Felix Durach
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Nikki Haley has been calling for a debate with Donald Trump for months.
The 77-year-old wants to run against the president straight away.
For Biden, an occasion for ridicule.
Washington, DC – Former US President Donald Trump has so far been particularly conspicuous by his absence from debates in the run-up to the US election.
While his fellow candidates fought in TV studios in the fight for the Republican candidacy, the 77-year-old campaigned solo.
Now Trump wants to face a debate.
However, not against his Republican competitor Nikki Haley, but only directly against US President Joe Biden.
Biden instead of Haley: Trump challenges the US President to a debate.
© John Locher/dpa
Biden instead of Haley: Trump wants an immediate debate against the US President
“I would like to debate him now because we should debate.
“We should debate for the good of the country,” Trump said in an interview with the radio program “Dan Bongino Show.”
Biden responded shortly afterwards to his predecessor's challenge in the White House with a laugh.
“If I were him, I would want to debate me too.
He has nothing else to do,” the US President mocked the press in Las Vegas.
Before the 2020 presidential election, Trump and Biden faced each other twice in a TV debate.
Traditionally there are three debates, but one was canceled because Trump fell ill with Covid-19.
However, the 77-year-old is not officially the Republican presidential candidate yet.
Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, is another candidate in the race.
Even though Haley lost to Trump in the recent primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, the 52-year-old does not want to admit defeat yet.
Ex-President squirms – Haley wants to pin Trump on debate
Haley has therefore repeatedly called on Trump in recent weeks to compete against her in a debate.
The 52-year-old has so far faced the other Republican candidates in TV debates - without Trump.
But the competitors gradually dropped out of the race.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the last big name to announce his exit from the election campaign.
DeSantis announced that he would support Trump.
Haley appeared on the US show “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend and again called on Trump to have a debate.
In the comedy show, the former governor also made fun of Trump and Biden's ages.
In addition, the 52-year-old launched an online petition on the website
maketrumpdebate.com
, which is intended to increase the pressure on her competitor.
Trump clearly in the lead in Republican polls
Trump is considered the overwhelming favorite for the Republican presidential nomination.
In nationwide surveys for the Republican primaries for the 2024 US election, the ex-president recently achieved over 73 percent.
The next big decision for Haley and Trump is on February 24th.
Then the primary election will be held in Haley's home state of South Carolina.
Trump is clearly leading in the polls there too.
If Haley loses the primary in the state she served as governor, it could effectively mean the end of her candidacy.
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Haley repeatedly criticizes Trump sharply on the short message service X.
“I passed one of the strictest immigration laws in the country when Donald Trump was still a New York liberal donating to Kamala Harris,” Haley wrote, reflecting on her term as governor.
“South Carolinians know that I will crack down on illegal immigration as president because I did so as governor,” Haley continued.
Before that, however, there will be elections in the state of Nevada on February 6th and 8th.
However, due to a strange situation, Trump is already the winner of the primary election in Nevada.
For Haley, it's more about positioning herself for the South Carolina election.
(fd)