In the dispute over a possible televised debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the US Vice President accused her opponent at the weekend of wanting to avoid a debate out of “fear”. The Republican presidential candidate had previously demanded that the debate take place on the ultra-conservative Fox News channel instead of on ABC as planned. Harris also still faces the important decision of who she wants to make her vice president.
“Donald Trump is scared and trying to get out of the debate he has already agreed to and is running straight to Fox News for help,” Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler said on Saturday. Trump must “stop playing games and show up for the debate he has already committed to on September 10.”
Before incumbent Joe Biden withdrew from the election campaign, a second televised debate with Trump was scheduled for September 10 on ABC. It was widely expected that this debate would now take place with Harris as the likely new Democratic presidential candidate instead of Biden. Trump rejected this.
Instead, the Republican presidential candidate said he wanted to run against Harris on September 4 on Fox News – his long-time “home channel”. In his online service Truth Social, the 78-year-old wrote that the debate would take place in the contested US state of Pennsylvania and would be moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. There would be an audience present.
Fox News confirmed that the debate would be held with spectators and would follow similar rules to the first debate between Trump and Biden on June 27 on CNN. In that debate, the candidates were only given a pen, a pad of paper and a water bottle. In addition, only the microphone of the respective speaker was opened, while the microphone of the other was muted. During this first debate, Biden appeared so confused that he ultimately had to give up his candidacy for another term.
Trump underlined his intentions again at a campaign event in Atlanta on Saturday – and put pressure on Harris: “We’ll do it with Fox if she shows up.” However, he does not believe that Harris will show up for the debate. “She can’t talk,” added the Republican presidential candidate.
Only recently, Trump declared that he would not have a TV debate with Harris. The 59-year-old then challenged the 78-year-old former president. If Trump had something to say, he should “say it to her face.”
Harris has not yet been officially confirmed as the Democratic candidate for the election on November 5. However, her party has already announced that it has received enough votes for its official nomination in the ongoing electronic vote of the US Democrats. The 99-year-old former US President Jimmy Carter has now also pledged his support. “I’m trying to hold out and vote for Kamala Harris,” he said.
Meanwhile, Harris was still faced with a decision about who she wanted to name as her running mate. She actually has to announce the name of her so-called running mate by Monday because she wants to go on a nationwide campaign tour with him on Tuesday. The current favorite is the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro.
