Trump Ally Goes After His Notoriously Fragile Ego In Bid For Another Debate (& Fails Miserably)

Political consultant Kellyanne Conway may not be part of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, but she's clearly still in his corner. In a September 2024 interview for Fox News (via X, formerly Twitter), Trump's former senior advisor tried to persuade him to face Kamala Harris in a second presidential debate. Conway first tried to be encouraging: "I know you, and I just believe when you see the end of that debate — are you going to let that be the last word of presidential debates of this season? End of your career? Or are you going to want one more?" 

However, Trump had an immediate answer to Conway's coaxing, saying: "I'd rather debate, I'd rather have another one. The problem is, we're so far down the line." Undeterred, Conway resorted to appealing to Trump's notoriously fragile ego with a sports analogy: "You've had seven of these debates, and I feel like you're Shohei Ohtani. I feel like you can pitch, you can, bat." 

Unfortunately for Conway, even this angle failed miserably, with Trump essentially shutting the door on any chance of a second debate. It may seem surprising that Conway would involve herself in this situation, but given how supportive she was of his debate efforts during his 2016 election, Conway's bid for the former president to re-debate Harris is just business as usual for this longstanding Trump ally. 

One of the cornerstones of Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump's relationship is her seemingly unshakable loyalty, which was on full display when she was asked to comment on his debate prowess back in 2016. In a post-debate interview with CNN, Conway gave Trump overwhelming praise: "He came here to play tonight, and he came here to take the case right to Hillary Clinton and to show Americans this race is still what it's always been: past versus future, politician versus successful business man, Washington insider versus disruptor. He did not back down." Conway's endorsement of Trump's debate skills continued into the 2024 election, when she spoke with Fox News ahead of the debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. According to Conway: "The debate stage is a natural habitat for Donald Trump, it's how he won the nomination in 2016." 

Although Conway's vote of confidence is befitting for a political ally, the results haven't always aligned with her assessments. Instead of being infallible like Conway suggests, Trump has experienced both wins and losses against his opponents. For example, although a CNN flash poll showed that Trump triumphed over Biden in June 2024, a September 2024 flash poll showed that most debate viewers believed Harris bested Trump. Given these mixed results, it may be wise for Trump to continue to ignore his signature ego — and Conway's advice.