Vice President Kamala Harris has declined an invitation from former President Donald Trump to debate on Fox News on September 4, just a day after she officially became the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. However, Harris indicated that she would be willing to debate Trump on one condition: if the event were to be hosted by ABC News.
The move has sparked a war of words between the two camps, with Harris’s campaign accusing Trump of trying to back out of a previously agreed-upon debate on September 10. “Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to,” said Michael Tyler, Harris’s campaign communications director. “He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10.”
Trump, on the other hand, has announced plans to debate Harris on Fox News, with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum serving as moderators. He has also proposed changes to the debate rules, including allowing a full arena audience. In a social media post, Trump wrote, “The Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!”
Harris has responded to Trump’s invitation, saying that it’s “interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.'” The Harris campaign is insistent on doing a debate on their terms, and their terms only.
The debate was originally scheduled to take place on September 10, with President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. However, after Biden was forced out of the race, the debate was left up in the air. Debates are often seen as a crucial moment in a presidential campaign, and a strong performance can make or break a candidate’s chances of securing votes.
