WATCH: CNN’s Chris Wallace Gets ‘Flashes of PTSD’ When Confronted With Video of Trump Attacking Him At Debate

CNN anchor Chris Wallace said he was getting “flashes of PTSD” when he was shown video of then-President Donald Trump attacking him during a presidential debate in 2020.

Trump recently lashed out at presidential debates in a rant signaling he would not participate in the forums during the 2024 campaign.

On Tuesday night’s edition of CNN Primetime, host Michael Smerconish introduced Wallace to talk about Trump’s rant, and to promote the new season of the HBO Max and CNN series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.

As he introduced Wallace, Smerconish played a clip from the 2020 debate, and asked Wallace if it brought back fond memories:

SMERCONISH: My next guest has moderated several debates involving Donald Trump from the primaries to the general elections, including this moment in 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, MODERATOR IN DEBATES WITH DONALD TRUMP: Mr. President, I’m the moderator of this debate, and I would like you to let me ask my question, and then you can answer it.

DONALD J. TRUMP, 45TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Go ahead.

WALLACE: You, in the course of these four years have never come up with a comprehensive plan to replace Obamacare. And just this last Thursday, you signed a largely symbolic executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions, five days before this debate. So my question, sir, is what is the Trump health care plan?

TRUMP: Well, first of all, I guess I’m debating you, not him. But that’s OK. I’m not surprised. Let me just tell you something that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMERCONISH: Chris Wallace joins me now. Does that bring back warm and fuzzy memories?

WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR, WHO’S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE: No, I’m, you know, just having some flashes of PTSD, Michael. Good evening.

SMERCONISH: You would think that a presidential candidate will of course, he or she would have to show up for a debate just in the same way you would think an outgoing president would have to show up for the inauguration of their successor, but in his case, there’s precedent for him not participating.

WALLACE: No, that’s absolutely right. In fact, when I was at Fox in 2016, he didn’t show up for one of the Republican primary debates. And what was so interesting is that we kept preparing even though he had said he wasn’t going to show up. This was a debate in Iowa just before the caucuses there. We kept preparing one, if he kept his word and didn’t show up and two, if he suddenly showed up at the last minute. I mean, we really had two completely alternative plans for a Trump or a Trumpless debate in Iowa.

SMERCONISH: Any RNC leverage that you see that could be exerted with him to force him to debate?

WALLACE: No, not really. I mean, first of all, everything with Donald Trump is transactional Michael as you well know so you know he’s saying right now I won’t show up for the debates but maybe he tries to get something better, some advantage, something that negotiation throws the other people off.

The other thing is that everything with Donald Trump is situational. And that means that right now he’s 15 to 20 points ahead of Ron DeSantis, who’s the only person who is also in double digits. If that should change or let’s say after Iowa, if he doesn’t win there, then he’ll just change his mind. And he’ll start showing up for debate.

SMERCONISH: Do debates matter in 2023, 2024?

WALLACE: Oh, yes. I mean, look, there’s a lot of skepticism, a lot of support for Trump, but also a lot of skepticism about whether he’s too old as we’re seeing with the Democrats with Joe Biden. You know, maybe we should on. If you were to get Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump on a debate stage together, I think a lot of people would do comparison shopping.

Now, look, Trump does very well in debates. I think he really won the 2016 Republican nomination by putting away those 16 and other can contenders in the debates, but you know, you put DeSantis, a new face with — with Donald Trump, who’s to say how that shows up and how people end up judging the two of them.

Watch above via CNN Primetime.