Author: Timothy Gardner and Surbhi Mishra
(Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has proposed a debate with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on September 4, and the Harris campaign said Trump is trying to withdraw The debate was scheduled to take place on ABC.
Trump, who later abandoned his re-election bid, said in a post on the Truth social site late Friday that the rules would be similar to the first debate with President Joe Biden. But Trump said there will be a “full audience” this time and will be held in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Trump and Biden agreed to hold a second debate on ABC News on September 10, with the former president suggesting it be moved to Fox, the network most popular among followers.
Harris, who on Friday secured the delegates she needs to clinch the Democratic nomination for the Nov. 5 election, said on Saturday that she planned to participate in the scheduled debate.
“It’s funny how ‘any time, any place’ turned into ‘a specific time, a specific safe space,’” she wrote on social media platform X. “I’ll be there on September 10th , as he agreed.
Harris spokesman Michael Taylor said Trump was “scared” and her campaign was happy to discuss further debates after the Sept. 10 debate “that both campaigns have agreed to.”
On Saturday, Trump said on “Truth Social” that Harris “wouldn’t dare do it” and that he would see her on September 4, “or, I won’t see her at all.”
On Friday, he said the ABC debates were “terminated” because Biden would no longer participate in the debates and that he was in the midst of a lawsuit against ABC.
Recent polls have shown a tight race between Harris and Trump, with Trump having an even wider lead over Biden after the first debate.
A spokesperson said ABC News had no comment on whether Trump would withdraw from the debate.
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ahead of Trump’s proposed debate on Fox, the Democratic National Committee launched an ad campaign Friday mocking him for saying “convicted felons are afraid of debate” and questioning whether it was because of his stance on abortion.
David Plouffe, an adviser to former President Barack Obama who recently joined Harris’ campaign, posted on social media: “Right now, he only seems to be comfortable in a cocoon, asking him to Happy Place Fox hosts Trump rallies and calls them debates.
Trump is 78 years old and Harris is 59.
