James Carville, a Democratic strategist, recently advocated for Vice President Harris to accept a debate invitation from Fox News to face former President Trump next month. During Saturday’s “Politicon,” Carville suggested that Trump’s reluctance to debate a woman reflects his fear. He proposed that Harris agree to debate Trump on September 18 in New York City, coinciding with Trump’s sentencing in the Manhattan hush money case.
“I hope the vice president’s team is tuning in. They should accept the Fox News debate invitation and schedule it for September 18 in Manhattan. Let’s be accommodating to former President Trump,” Carville urged. “Tell Fox News you’re ready to participate. They have a studio in Manhattan where we can hold the debate on the 18th.”
Carville’s remarks were first reported by Mediaite.
Trump, in a Truth Social post on Friday, confirmed he had agreed to a debate with Harris on September 4, while withdrawing from a previously scheduled ABC News debate on September 10 with President Biden, citing ongoing litigation as a conflict of interest. “I’ve agreed to debate Kamala Harris on September 4,” Trump wrote. “The ABC debate was canceled because Biden is out, and I’m now in a legal dispute with ABC.”
Michael Tyler, Harris’s campaign communications director, criticized Trump for attempting to evade the September 10 debate. “Trump needs to honor his commitment to the debate on September 10,” Tyler stated. “The Vice President will be there to address a national audience, and we are open to discussing additional debates after this one. Trump’s avoidance only suggests he might be too afraid to face us.”