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Sadly, the much-anticipated debate between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders isn’t going to happen.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Friday his campaign issued a statement, saying it had received two offers from broadcast networks to host the debate and make a large charitable gift.
Both candidates had embraced the idea of a debate earlier in the week, suggesting that it should be held in a stadium and making little secret of their hopes for record-smashing ratings for the event.
Sanders first applied for a debate to “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, in which Trump came as a guest on Wednesday.
“I will wait to debate the first place finisher in the Democratic Party, probably Crooked Hillary Clinton”, Trump said in a statement.
Mrs Clinton has shown no interest in debating Mr Sanders before the California primary, which will be part of a final slate of nominating contests.
Let’s get real – should Hillary debate Ted Cruz after she clinches the delegates she needs? “‘Your job is to make sure that Trump is defeated, that Bernie Sanders, in fact, for a variety of reasons, not just polling, is the strongest candidate'”. The debate, which could have taken place in California, would have offered one of the best promotional opportunities to Sanders.
And Mr Trump was put in the unusual position of having to claim the event – which would have been compelling television that attracted an audience of tens of millions – was “inappropriate”.
But on “Meet the Press”, asked about the report, Sanders said that “these are areas that I have stayed away from. There is a reason for that reality and the American people should be able to see it up front in a good debate and a clash of ideas”.
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Trump and Sanders had sent the voters in a tizzy by openly hinting they were open for a debate. We look forward to a substantive debate that will contrast the very different visions that Sen. Bernie Sanders would not rule out accepting a hypothetical VP slot on a ticket with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
