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Trump announced his social media platform, Truth Social, saying that the debate would feature a “full arena audience” and take place in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state.
Trump’s proposal echoes the format of the first debate he had with President Joe Biden, who has since exited the reelection race. The second debate was originally planned for September 10 on ABC News, but Trump suggested moving it to Fox News, a network favored by his supporters. Harris, who officially secured the Democratic nomination on Friday, responded by reaffirming her commitment to the original debate date.
The change, which Trump announced, raised objections from the Harris campaign and appeared to throw a potential showdown between the rivals into question.
A campaign official for Harris on Saturday accused Trump of scheming up the Fox News debate to distract from reneging on his commitment to the ABC debate. Trump had agreed to that debate in May, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
“Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out,” Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris campaign, said. “He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10.”
Tyler said that the Harris campaign was open to discussing further debates if Trump honored his commitment to the ABC debate.
A spokesperson for ABC News would not say whether the network would go ahead with its debate and give time only to Harris, reported NYT.
Harris took a direct jab at Trump, questioning his sudden change of plans. “It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space,’” Harris remarked. She reaffirmed her commitment to the scheduled debate, adding, “I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there.”
According to Trump’s post on his social media site, the Fox News debate would take place on Sept 4 at a to-be-determined location in Pennsylvania. The network’s anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would moderate.
Trump said on social media that the Fox News debate would have a live audience; the previous debate between him and Biden was hosted by CNN in an empty venue. Although both campaigns agreed to the format of the first debate, Trump had bemoaned the lack of a crowd.
Besides, at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday night, Trump continued to take jabs at Harris, this time targeting her racial identity. He falsely suggested that Harris had downplayed her Black heritage, an accusation he made earlier to the National Association of Black Journalists. Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, identifies as both Black and Asian.
During the rally, Trump mocked the pronunciation of Harris’ first name and called her a “lunatic,” further escalating the personal attacks that have characterized his campaign rhetoric.
Trump also claimed that the ABC debate was “terminated” due to Biden’s withdrawal and his own ongoing litigation with the network. However, ABC had recently outlined qualification requirements for the debate without mentioning any specific candidates. These requirements, including polling support and state ballot access by September 3, reflect the tight race between Harris and Trump, who had maintained a lead over Biden after the first debate.
ABC News and Fox News have both declined to comment on the status of the debate. Trump’s proposal for the Fox debate came just after the Democratic National Committee launched an ad campaign accusing him of being “afraid to debate” and questioning his stance on abortion.
David Plouffe, an adviser to former President Barack Obama who recently joined the Harris campaign, took to social media to criticize Trump’s move. “Now, he seems only comfortable in a cocoon, asking his happy place Fox to host a Trump rally and call it a debate. Maybe he can only handle debating someone his own age,” Plouffe wrote, highlighting the age difference between Trump, 78, and Harris, 59.
