Donald Trump said he has agreed to debate Vice President Kamala Harris in September at an event that will be moderated on Fox News.
In an article on Truth Social, Trump said he is “fully in a position” to settle for the “coup” that saw Democrats update President Joe Biden as the party’s presumptive nominee for 2024, and that he is in a position to meet “in the debate is on par with the crazy Kamala Harris.
It’s unclear whether Harris agreed with the Fox News debate and its terms. In the past, the Democrat would face Trump in the pre-arranged ABC News debate for Sept. 10, which was scheduled before Biden withdrew from the race.
“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4. In the past, the debate was scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but it was cut because Biden will no longer participate, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos [Stephanopoulos], thus creating a clash of interests,” Trump wrote.
“The Fox News debate will take place in the Greater Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a location in a domain to be determined. “
It was Biden’s lackluster and languid performance in the first presidential debate hosted by CNN on June 27 that ultimately led to the president ending his re-election campaign and Harris to the Democratic nomination.
Since then, Harris has noticed waves of enthusiasm for her White House bid and is outpacing Trump in several polls.
On Friday, Harris’ crusader accused Trump of being “too scared” to face the vice president in a debate and that the Republican “has to show himself as a man. “
Harris also put more pressure on Trump to appear to be on the same level as her in a debate, telling the crowd at a campaign rally in Georgia that if the former president had anything to say about her, “he would say it to my face. “
Trump claims in his Truth Social article that the moderators of the September debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum of Fox News.
Trump also said the debate rules would be similar to those of the CNN debate, where microphones were muted when all candidates were unable to speak, to avoid interruptions.
The former president added that the CNN debate, on the occasion of Fox News, would have a “full audience. “
Trump also showed some sympathy for Biden, whom he said he “treated horribly” through his party after dozens of members publicly suggested he drop out of the 2024 race.
“As we know, Democrats unconstitutionally took a defeated candidate and unceremoniously replaced him with a new candidate. This has never been done before and constitutes a risk to democracy,” he said. Triumph.
“I spent many millions of dollars, time and effort fighting Joe, and when I won the debate, they threw a new candidate into the ring. It’s not fair, but it’s like that! However, whether there is another candidate or not, his bad policies are the same, and this will be clearly revealed in the debate on September 4.
“I look forward to meeting and discussing Kamala Harris on September 4. This date is convenient and appropriate insofar as it is just prior to the start of early voting on September 6 for the 2024 presidential election. “
Harris on Friday secured the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
Michael Tyler, communications director for Harris’s crusade, accused Trump of “being scared and pulling out of the debate he had already agreed to and rushing straight to Fox News to rescue him. “
The dispute against ABC News that Trump is referring to is a lawsuit the former president filed against the network and George Stephanopoulos after the anchor said on air that the former president had been found “responsible for rape” by a jury in a case involving E. Jean Carroll.
In 2023, a New York civil court ruled that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996, but the jury did not find that he raped her. The ruling in the civil case later wrote in two separate filings that Trump raped Carroll under a broader definition used in other states, now adding New York.
A civil defamation trial is expected to begin in April 2025 in the lawsuit between Trump and ABC News. Newsweek has reached out to ABC for comment via email.
Trump has denied all the allegations.
Democratic researcher and strategist Matt McDermott posted on
“Donald Trump is backing down because he’s afraid to debate Kamala Harris. “
Pro-Trump social media user Joey Mannarino, who has more than 494,000 fans on a debate opposite him, cool and calm like in the debate opposite Biden and Kamala will scream like crazy, make accusations, call him a “rapist” and all his same old phrases.
“She’ll look unbalanced. He will show calm and composure. It will be the victory she thinks she will get. “
Update 03/08/2024 at 11:12 a. m. ET: This article was updated with the observation of Kamala Harris’ campaign communications director, Michael Tyler.
Ewan Palmer is a reporter for Newsweek News in London, United Kingdom. It focuses on American politics, domestic politics, and the courts. He joined Newsweek in February 2018 after spending several years working at the International Business Times UK, where he reported primarily on crime, politics, and current affairs. Prior to that, he worked as a freelance editor after graduating from the University of Sunderland in 2010. Languages: English.
You can reach Ewan by emailing e. palmer@newsweek. com.
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