Republican Donald Trump agrees to debate US Vice President Kamala Harris
Washington: Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Saturday that he has agreed to debate Democratic candidate Kamala Harris live on Sept. 4, in the runup to Nov. 5, Election Day.
“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris,” Trump said on his Truth Social account.
There has been no response from Harris, currently the US vice president, regarding the proposal from Fox News, generally seen as a pro-Trump outlet. Harris became the Democratic Party front-runner after President Joe Biden ended his campaign last month. Her entry into the race has drawn massive campaign donations and tightened the race, according to polls.
The possible debate would take place in the northeastern US state of Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, at a location that has yet to be finalized.
The debate would be moderated by Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier and news anchor Martha MacCallum, following rules similar to Trump’s previous debate with Biden in June on CNN. This event is anticipated to have a full arena audience, unlike the CNN debate.
Initially planned for Sept. 10 on ABC News against Biden, the debate was called off due to Biden’s withdrawal and Trump’s legal actions against ABC Network and George Stephanopoulos, which Trump said created a conflict of interest.
Jaime Harrison, the Democratic National Committee Chair, announced on Friday that Harris has garnered adequate Democratic convention delegates to secure the party’s presidential nomination.