In a recent update, former President Trump revealed he has scheduled a debate with Vice President Harris for September 4, replacing his previously planned debate with President Biden, who has since withdrawn from the race.
On Friday night, Trump announced on Truth Social, “I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th.” He added that the debate was initially planned with President Biden on ABC, but that plan was scrapped due to Biden’s exit from the race and ongoing litigation involving ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, which Trump claims creates a conflict of interest.
The upcoming Fox News debate will take place in Pennsylvania and will be moderated by Fox hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Trump stated, “The Fox News Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with the exact location to be announced.
Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate, and the debate rules will be similar to those for my debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been poorly treated by his Party—BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!”
Originally, both Trump and President Biden had committed to ABC’s debate scheduled for September 10. Trump’s decision to debate Harris arises from a series of exchanges between him and the vice president, with Trump questioning the necessity of debating Harris given his poll lead, while Harris accused him of evading the debate.
Harris recently met the criteria to be the Democratic presidential nominee before Trump’s new debate arrangement was finalized. Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler criticized Trump for attempting to avoid the debate he had agreed to, stating, “Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already committed to, seeking help from Fox News.
He needs to stop playing games and show up for the debate on September 10. The Vice President will be there regardless to address a prime-time national audience. We are open to discussing additional debates once the already agreed-upon debate has occurred.”