Donald Trump offers to debate Kamala Harris next month
Donald Trump says he’s agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on September 4 US time, but it was not known is Ms Harris has agreed.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said today he had agreed with Fox News to debate Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on September 4 US time (September 5 AEST).
“I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform late on Friday US time, but it was not immediately clear if Ms Harris had agreed to the debate.
Mr Trump’s post came hours after Harris secured the Democratic party’s presidential nomination as party standard bearer in November’s election.
Mr Trump’s White House bid was turned upside down on July 21 when President Joe Biden, 81, facing growing concerns about his age and lagging polling numbers, withdrew his candidacy and backed Harris.
Mr Biden bowed out following a disastrous debate performance against Mr Trump in June on CNN.
A second Trump-Biden televised debate had been scheduled for September 10 on ABC television.
That was expected to remain in place, with Ms Harris replacing Mr Biden, but Mr Trump’s spokesman Steven Cheung last week said it was “inappropriate” to schedule it before Ms Harris was formally the Democratic nominee.
In his post Mr Trump gave details of the debate venue and the moderators, saying it would be held before a full audience.
The 78-year-old Republican nominee had previously said he would not debate Ms Harris, who is nearly two decades his junior, departing from political tradition.
The former prosecutor and ex-California attorney general last month dared Mr Trump to debate her face-to-face.
“Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,” Ms Harris said at a campaign rally in Atlanta.
In his post, Mr Trump said the debate will be held in Pennsylvania, and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum in front of a full audience.
Fox News confirmed that the debate would have “spectators” and follow similar rules to the June 27 CNN debate between Mr Trump and Ms Biden.
The news channel said it had invited Mr Trump and Ms Harris to participate in a debate in Pennsylvania in September.
“I look forward to meeting and debating Kamala Harris on September 4th,” Mr Trump said, adding the date was “convenient and appropriate” as it comes just before the September 6 start of early voting for the presidential election.
Earlier Ms Harris had secured enough votes to be named the official Democratic presidential nominee.
She was as the only candidate on the ballot for the five-day electronic vote under way, after 4000 delegates – the grassroots activists and politicians allocated during the primary process – signed petitions backing her candidacy.
AFP
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