Former US President Donald Trump’s campaign team confirmed to The Epoch Times on August 11 that the two proposed presidential debates may be turning into municipal events held by Trump.
Both the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, have agreed to participate in the presidential debate hosted by ABC News on September 10. Despite concerns about potential conflicts of interest with the network due to ongoing lawsuits, the former president ultimately agreed to proceed with this debate.
Trump is currently awaiting Harris’s acceptance of the two other proposed debates on September 4 on Fox News and September 25 on NBC News.
During a press conference on August 9, Trump proposed these debates and one of his campaign advisors mentioned that if Harris refuses, Trump will appear solo on these national television networks.
The Epoch Times reached out to Harris’s campaign team for comments.
On August 11, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, “I look forward to seeing Kamala Harris in all three debates!”
More details about the proposed debates regarding hosts and locations were disclosed by Trump.
The Fox News presidential debate or municipal event on September 4 will be broadcast live from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
On September 10, the ABC World News Tonight anchor, David Muir, will moderate a confirmed bipartisan candidate showdown at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
On September 25, NBC anchor Lester Holt will host the final proposed debate in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The attention-grabbing aspect of the confirmed and proposed locations is that they are situated in two battleground states.
NBC did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comments.
Given the unusual twists and turns of this election cycle, these two debates are highly anticipated.
In a debate held on June 27 at a CNN studio in Atlanta, Trump and the incumbent President Biden clashed head-to-head. Biden’s performance during the debate led to calls for his resignation from within the Democratic Party.
On July 21, Biden announced his withdrawal from the race, stating that he would complete the remainder of his presidential term.
Biden endorsed Harris to be his successor. Surveys indicate that as the Democratic presidential candidate, her performance edges out Biden’s and slightly leads over Trump. RealClearPolitics, a website aggregating US political news and polling data, shows Harris leading Trump by 0.5%. Following the Democratic National Convention scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, her polling support is expected to rise once again.
Some independent voters interviewed by The Epoch Times expressed their preference for Harris partly because, at 59 years old, she is younger than the 78-year-old Trump. However, concerns were raised about her achievements during her tenure as Vice President. These voters also mentioned Harris’s failure to clarify her policy positions.
Trump’s campaign team has criticized Harris for not accepting media interviews. Trump and his campaign partner, Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, held a press conference last week emphasizing the differences between their campaigns and Harris’s campaign.