Fox News proposes Trump-Harris debate on Sept. 17 after Biden pulls out of race
The debate invitation from the right-wing cable network would take place in the swing state of Pennsylvania, with anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum serving as moderators, it said Wednesday.
In letters to the Trump and Harris campaigns, Fox News President Jay Wallace and Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker said it is “open to discussion on the exact date, format and location – with or without an audience.”
The letter also noted that “despite not having a Democratic debate” in 2016 or 2020, the network “was able to secure town halls with Democratic candidates” including with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand.
The network also attached statistics and ratings which it said pointed to its “strength with key demographics such as independents in swing states.”
Trump and President Joe Biden’s campaign had previously agreed to two debates this year, one hosted by CNN in June and another to be hosted by ABC on September 10. It’s not clear if that debate will still take place now that Biden has dropped out of the race.
Trump has also expressed displeasure at ABC and has previously posted that he wants Fox News to host the debate instead of the Disney-owned network. An ABC News spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Trump said he “absolutely” wants to debate Harris, and “would be willing to do more than one debate, actually.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” Trump said. “But I want to debate her, and she’ll be no different, because they have the same policies. I think debating’s important for a presidential race, I really do, you sort of have an obligation to debate.”
The Fox News network, known for its strong performance with independent voters in swing states, has a history of hosting town halls with Democratic candidates, such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. This media outlet is now open to discussing a debate between Trump and Harris, potentially leveraging its business relationships to facilitate this event.
