Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has declined her Republican rival Donald Trump’s offer to shift the time and place of the presidential debate from September 10 on ABC News to 4th of the month on Fox News, media reports said on Sunday (August 4). The Harris campaign also said it will stick to the original plan for an ABC News debate and claimed that the former US president was “running scared” and hoping Fox News to “bail him out”.
Trump and President Joe Biden, who was earlier in the race to the White House again, had agreed in May this year to participate in two presidential debates. The first was held in June on CNN and the second was scheduled to be hosted by ABC News on September 10. After Biden’s withdrawal from the race last month, Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, was declared the 2024 presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party as she won enough votes from Democratic delegates in a virtual roll call. She was endorsed by former US president Barack Obama.
What did Trump say on presidential debate?
On Saturday, Trump said that he has agreed to an offer from Fox News to conduct a debate with Vice President Harris on September 4, shifting from the original plan, CBS News reported.
"I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest," he said.
Kamala Harris responds to Trump’s offer
Harris took to X to turn down the shift in time and place of the debate and said that she will be there at the previously-decided network on September 10.
"It’s interesting how “any time, any place” becomes “one specific time, one specific safe space. ” I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there," Harris said.
The Harris campaign said that "Donald Trump is running scared" hoping that Fox News will "bail him out" of the debate he had already agreed to with ABC News, according to the report.
"He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept. 10," the report quoted Michael Tyler, the Harris campaign communication director, as saying. "The Vice President will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime-time national audience," Tyler said, adding that the campaign is open to discussing further debates but only after the one both campaigns have already agreed to takes place.
Last month, Harris challenged Trump to a debate, provoking him to say whatever he had "to say to her face". Harris would face Trump in the general elections on November 5.
(With PTI inputs)
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