Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested a debate with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on September 4, but the Harris campaign responded that Trump was attempting to avoid a previously agreed-upon debate on ABC. Trump announced on Truth Social late Friday that the rules would mirror those of the first debate with President Joe Biden, who has since withdrawn his reelection bid, but with a "full arena audience" and in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Trump and Biden had previously agreed to a second debate on September 10 on ABC News, which Trump had proposed moving to Fox, the most favored network among his supporters. Harris, who secured the necessary delegate votes to win the Democratic nomination for the November 5 election, stated on Saturday that she intends to participate in the originally scheduled debate. "It's interesting how 'any time, any place' becomes 'one specific time, one specific safe space,'" she posted on the social media platform X. "I'll be there on September 10, as agreed. I hope to see him there."
Harris spokesperson Michael Tyler accused Trump of being "afraid" and expressed the campaign's willingness to discuss additional debates following the September 10 event, which both campaigns have agreed to. On Saturday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that Harris is "afraid to do it" and that he will see her on September 10, "or, I won't see her at all."
Both candidates have been actively campaigning across the country, with Trump launching new attacks against Harris, whose poll numbers show her in a close race with the former president. At a rally in Atlanta, Trump criticized Harris' character and policies, and continued to question her racial identity. Trump had previously falsely claimed that Harris downplayed her Black heritage at a major gathering of Black journalists. Harris, of Indian and Jamaican descent, identifies as both Black and Asian and attended a historically Black university, where she joined a prominent Black sorority.
Trump, speaking at the same venue where Harris held a rally, mentioned there were "19 different ways" to pronounce Harris' first name and called her a "lunatic" with a "low IQ." Before taking the stage, his campaign displayed an article on a large screen referring to Harris as the "first Indian-American senator." The former president also focused part of his speech on attacking Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, and secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, both of whom he blamed for not overturning his election loss to Biden in 2020.
Trump's aggressive approach contrasts with the advice of some senior Republicans, who have urged him to avoid personal attacks on Harris' identity and internal party criticism. Following Trump's speech, the Harris campaign issued a statement from Geoff Duncan, the Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia from 2019 to 2023 and a known Trump critic. "If you could see past Donald Trump's incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Trump who doesn't care about uniting the country or speaking to the voters who will decide this election," Duncan said.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the ABC debate had been "terminated" as Biden would no longer participate and due to his own litigation with ABC. ABC outlined qualification requirements for the debate on July 26, which included demonstrating polling support and state ballot access by September 3. Recent polls indicate a close race between Harris and Trump, who had initially led over Biden following the president's shaky performance in the first debate.
ABC News declined to comment on Trump's statement, and Fox News did not respond to a request for comment. Trump's proposal for a Fox debate followed the Democratic National Committee's advertising campaign mocking him as "the convicted felon afraid to debate," possibly due to his stance on abortion. David Plouffe, an adviser to former President Barack Obama who recently joined the Harris campaign, commented on social media: "Now, he seems comfortable only in a cocoon, asking his safe place Fox to host a Trump rally and call it a debate. Maybe he can only handle debating someone his own age." Trump is 78, and Harris is 59.
