Trump to Debate Harris on ABC News: Details & Reactions

Former President Donald Trump agreed on Thursday to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC News next month, ending weeks of uncertainty. This decision marks a reversal from Trump’s previous stance regarding the debate schedule he had initially agreed upon with President Joe Biden. Trump confirmed to reporters that he would face Harris on September 10 on ABC News, a date originally set for the second debate between Trump and Biden. This agreement follows Trump’s previous hesitations about the debates with Harris. Just last week, Trump had claimed that the debate agreement with Biden had been “terminated,” and he advocated for Fox News to host the debate instead. However, Trump reversed his position on Wednesday, stating during an appearance on Fox & Friends that he would debate Harris in the “near future.”

The Harris campaign has accused Trump of being “scared” to debate her and asserted that she would attend the debate regardless of Trump’s participation. The venue and details regarding the debate’s logistics remain uncertain. In May, Biden and Trump agreed to a set of rules for both the CNN debate and the September 10 ABC News debate. These rules included no live studio audience, muted microphones when the candidates are not speaking, and hosts selected from the networks’ regular personnel. It is unclear whether these regulations will be maintained for the upcoming debate.

Trump announced on Thursday that he had also agreed to a debate on September 4, which would be hosted by Fox News, and that the ABC debate would be held on September 25. However, Trump’s campaign later clarified that the ABC debate is scheduled for September 10, and NBC News will host the debate on September 25. So far, Harris has only confirmed her participation in the September 10 debate. An NBC spokesperson indicated that the date for the September 25 debate was not official, as reported by CBS News. The spokesperson mentioned that the network had been in discussions with both campaigns about various potential dates.

Harris expressed her satisfaction with Trump’s agreement to the September 10 debate, stating, “I’m glad that he finally agreed to a debate on September 10. I’m looking forward to it and I hope he shows up.” She also indicated her willingness to schedule additional debates if necessary. Trump stated that CBS News would host a vice presidential debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Harris, who is running alongside Biden, had previously agreed to debate Trump’s yet-to-be-named running mate on CBS. However, no official announcement has been made about a Vance-Walz debate. Both Vance and Walz have expressed their desire to debate each other, but Vance has requested that the debate occur after Democrats officially nominate Walz, which is expected to happen at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

The political landscape shifted significantly following Trump’s debate with President Biden on June 27. The debate marked a pivotal moment in the election, ultimately leading Biden to withdraw from his re-election bid less than a month later and endorse Harris as his successor. Since announcing her candidacy, Harris has narrowed the polling gap with Trump and now holds a slight lead in most polling averages. The past two weeks have seen a shift in focus towards the candidates’ running mates. Trump announced Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential pick just before the Republican National Convention commenced on July 18, while Harris revealed Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday. This evolving debate schedule and the candidates’ choices for running mates have set the stage for an increasingly dynamic and closely watched election season.