Trump campaign invites Tupac to debate after Harris calls him ‘best rapper alive’
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign invited the late rapper Tupac Shakur to Wednesday’s vice presidential debate after Democratic nominee Kamala Harris named him as the “best rapper alive.”
During the NAACP’s virtual convention on Sept. 25, Harris was asked who was the best rapper alive by CNN commentor Angela Rye, The New York Post reported.
Harris answered, “Tupac.” Then Rye reminded her that the rapper passed away, according to the publication.
“Not alive, I know, I keep doing that,” Harris replied.
Shakur, who was based in California, is regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his time. The rapper was shot and killed in 1996 at the age of 25.
“We have left a ticket for Tupac Shakur, Sen. Harris’ favorite rapper alive... I’m personally more of a Biggie fan, if he’s still alive, we will have a ticket for Tupac,” Trump’s senior campaign adviser Jason Miller told reporters during a Wednesday call, according to a Tweet by a RealClearPolitics reporter.
The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie was a New York-based rapper who had a rivalry with Shakur. Biggie was shot and killed in 1997 at the age of 24.
Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s communications director, confirmed another reporter’s tweet that a ticket was being left for Shakur and that it was “not a joke.”
A CBS reporter tweeted that she asked who Vice President Mike Pence is bringing to the debate and a spokesperson replied: “Tupac.”
Harris and Pence will debate for the first and only time at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Harris’ campaign says she tested negative for the coronavirus on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, while Pence also reported testing negative the same day.
The anticipated debate takes place just days after Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday.
Trump was released from the hospital and returned to the White House on Monday evening. His medical team said at a news conference that he “may not be entirely out of the woods yet” but his condition supported his discharge from Walter Reed.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Trump campaign invites Tupac to debate after Harris calls him ‘best rapper alive’."