Former President Donald Trump has announced on the Truth Social platform late Friday night that he has agreed to a debate with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris scheduled for September 4th. This debate was proposed by FOX News after the cancellation of the second debate with Joe Biden on ABC.
The second debate with Biden was called off due to Biden’s withdrawal from the race. Additionally, Trump’s ongoing legal battle with ABC and anchor George Slopadopoulos led to the termination of that debate due to conflicts of interest.
The proposed debate by FOX News is expected to take place in Pennsylvania, although the exact location is yet to be determined. Trump mentioned that the debate rules will be similar to the ones agreed upon with Biden’s campaign team, but he insisted on having a full audience present during the debate.
After Biden announced his withdrawal and endorsement of Harris last Sunday, FOX News invited both Trump and Harris to a presidential debate on September 17th. The debate will be moderated by FOX News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Harris had previously responded by saying she was “ready” for the debate and criticized Trump for rescinding the agreement for the second debate with Biden on September 10th on ABC.
Trump had initially stated he would not debate Harris as she was not an official candidate. He added that former President Barack Obama had not yet endorsed her. However, Obama later publicly endorsed her candidacy.
Harris officially became the Democratic presidential nominee after receiving support from 2350 delegates, meeting the required threshold for nomination. Democrats stated that a total of 3923 delegates (99% of participants) planned to vote for her.
It remains uncertain whether Harris will agree to participate in this debate.
Last Tuesday, Harris held a campaign rally at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, attracting about ten thousand supporters. During the event, when she expressed her willingness to participate in (one or more) debates in front of her opponents, the audience erupted in excitement.
According to sources cited by the Associated Press on Saturday, Harris is expected to announce her vice presidential running mate over the weekend and make their first joint appearance at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, next Tuesday, August 6th, kicking off a four-day campaign in battleground states.