The first candidates’ debate for the 2024 US presidential election was held at CNN’s studios in Atlanta on 27 June local time, The Hill reported. Prior to the start of the debate, Mary Trump, the niece of former US President Donald Trump, announced that she was joining incumbent US President Joe Biden’s campaign to participate in CNN’s live commentary segment during the debate.
A Biden campaign official was quoted as saying that Trump’s niece was invited to participate in the critique because “when it comes to character, there’s no one else who can comment on Trump better than his family.”
Mary Trump released a statement ahead of time saying, “I’m going to Atlanta tonight to remind everyone what kind of man Donald is and how he will govern as president, because the risk of us making a mistake is too great: we can’t afford to let Donald Trump hold the reins of power any longer.”
Reports indicate that Mary Trump has long been an outspoken critic of her uncle and published a book about it in 2020 called “Never Enough: How My Family Made the Most Dangerous Man in the World”. Not long ago, after Trump was found guilty by a jury in a New York court in the “hush money” case, Mary also voiced her opinion that the verdict “must have taken his breath away”.
In a statement on 27 June, Mary said, “Donald is not to be trusted and we must recognise that his last administration was just a preview of worse to come.” She also called the Capitol Hill riots that took place on 6 January 2021 “a dress rehearsal for someone who will stop at nothing in their quest to once again ascend to the highest office in the land.”
In her statement, Mary added: “He desperately craves power, but has shown himself to be both unworthy of holding it and obsessed with taking it back, purely for his own benefit. He must be stopped …… If the worst happens: the Donald returns to the White House, none of us who have criticised him will be safe, because the tactic he employs is revenge and punishment. I’m here (at the debate) tonight because only President Biden can stop The Donald and save our country.”
Commentators joining Biden’s camp for the live CNN broadcast also included California Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as several officials from Biden’s campaign, and a number of prominent social media bloggers and opinion leaders, according to the report.
