Trump says he agreed with Fox to debate Harris on Sept. 4; VP yet to confirm
In post on his Truth Social platform, Republican presidential candidate says Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum to host debate, charges Biden ‘has been treated horribly by his Party’
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said late Friday that he had agreed with Fox News to debate Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris on September 4, though it was not immediately clear if Harris had agreed to the debate.
“I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, hours after Harris secured the Democratic party’s presidential nomination as party standard bearer in November’s election.
Trump’s White House bid was turned upside down on July 21 when US President Joe Biden, 81, withdrew his candidacy and backed Harris amid growing concerns about his age and lagging polling numbers.
Biden bowed out following a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June on CNN. During the debate, Biden and Trump rambled and jabbed each other with insults that included exchanges about Israel’s war with Hamas and neo-Nazi violence.
A second Trump-Biden televised debate had been scheduled on ABC television for September 10. That was expected to remain in place, with Harris replacing Biden, but Trump’s spokesman Steven Cheung last week said it was “inappropriate” to schedule it before Harris was formally the Democratic nominee.
Harris had responded last month that she was “ready” after Fox News proposed the presidential debate between the two candidates.
In his post on Friday, Trump said that the ABC debate had been terminated not only because of Biden’s withdrawal but because he is “in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest.”
Trump is suing the network and George Stephanopoulos for defamation after the anchor said that the former president “raped” American columnist E. Jean Carroll. In May 2023, a jury found him liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996, though it rejected claims that she was raped.
He also gave details of the debate venue and the moderators, saying it would be held before a full audience.
“The FoxNews Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined. The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party,” Trump wrote.
The post was removed for a few minutes before being reposted, with Trump deleting his proposal for a “major” town hall gathering on the same date if Harris was “unwilling or unable to debate.”
Reuters and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
