Tech Company Calls Trump’s Bluff By Offering To Put Up $10 Million For Sanders Debate

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:01 pm

A tech company is calling Donald Trump’s bluff by offering to put up the $10 million that the Republican nominee demanded before he would participate in a debate with Bernie Sanders.

Richie Hecker, chairman and CEO of Traction and Scale, told Buzzfeed News:

Yesterday, Mr Trump asked for a $10 [million] donation to charity in order to accept Mr Sanders’ challenge to debate him. We are willing to offer that $10 [million] donation in return for the opportunity to host the debate.

……

We would host the debate as a physical event and live stream it to the world. As a technology incubator and investment company, Traction and Scale builds transformative user experiences and will host the debate on our cutting-edge mobile technology. We have distribution to 250MM Americans on social media through this channel.

The debate format would focus on compromise and solutions. We would invite the candidates to look at the forum less as a debate, and more as a negotiation for the future of America. We believe that Mr Sanders and Mr Trump collectively represent the voice of the American people. We are confident that convening the voice of the people in a nonpartisan forum will spark the revolution and make America great again.

The problem is that Trump was very specific. He doesn’t want somebody else’s $10 million. He wants Bernie Sanders to put up $10 million. It was a nice publicity stunt for Hecker and his company, but one can easily see Trump turning down the offer. For Donald Trump, the demand of $10 million is about the ego stroke of getting Bernie Sanders to pay to debate him.

If the money doesn’t come from Sanders, Trump isn’t interested. It is a guarantee that there are networks and media outlets that would put up the money in a heartbeat, but Trump wants to prove that he has more money than Sanders, which in his mind is the only measurement that defines greatness. 

It was fun to see somebody call Trump’s bluff, but Hecker gave Trump an easy out.

The idea of Sanders vs. Trump debate remains more of a publicity stunt than a concrete offer.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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