The presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris is making it clear that former President Donald Trump is reneging on his commitment to participate in a debate scheduled for September. While Trump had agreed to two debates with President Joe Biden, Harris’ campaign is pushing for the September 10 debate to go on as planned, regardless of whether Trump chooses to participate or not.
Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign, reaffirmed their stance, stating, “As Vice President Harris said last week, the American people deserve to hear from the two candidates running for the highest office in the land and she will do that at September’s ABC debate.” He added, “Vice President Harris will be there on Sept. 10 – we’ll see if Trump shows.”
Trump, when asked by reporters about debating Harris, replied that he would “absolutely” debate her but hinted that he might not participate in the ABC event. Trump’s campaign later clarified that they would not agree to a general election debate with Harris until the Democrats officially select their nominee. However, it is worth noting that Harris is reported to have secured enough delegates for the nomination, with a virtual vote scheduled for August 1. The Democratic National Convention is set to take place from August 19-22 in Chicago.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump’s campaign, assured that the former president will debate the Democratic nominee but emphasized the need for the Democrats to formally decide on their ultimate nominee before finalizing the debate schedule. He also expressed the opinion that there should be multiple debates and different hosting outlets to ensure a diverse discussion.
In light of President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the debate and his endorsement of Harris, Fox News has extended an invitation to both Trump and Harris’ campaigns to hold a debate on their network. The proposed debate would take place in Pennsylvania on September 17, coinciding with the start of early voting in key battleground states. Fox News stated that they are open to discussing the format, location, and whether an audience should be present.
While neither campaign has responded to Fox News’ offer as of yet, Trump mentioned the debates on his Truth Social platform. He expressed his preference for holding the debate on Fox News instead of ABC, which he considers to be biased.
The debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump continues to be a highly anticipated event, and the campaign teams are working to ensure its occurrence, holding each other accountable for their commitments.
