Harris' campaign team to TV debate: Trump to stop playing games
In his contribution, Trump announced that the debate would take place in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and be moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, with an audience present. Fox News, a longstanding supporter of Trump, confirmed that the debate would indeed be held with an audience and follow similar rules to the first debate between Trump and U.S. President Joe Biden on June 27th on CNN. In that debate, the candidates were only provided with a pen, a notepad, and a bottle of water, and each candidate's microphone was turned off when they were not speaking.
However, a statement from Harris' campaign director stated that Trump must "stop playing games and show up for the debate he has already committed to for September 10th."
Before Biden's withdrawal from the race, a second televised debate with Trump on ABC was scheduled for September 10th, which was expected to feature Harris instead of Biden.
At a campaign event in Atlanta on Saturday, Trump reiterated his stance on the planned Fox News debate, stating that he had "agreed to the plan" and that the debate would take place "if she shows up." He expressed doubt that Harris would attend, stating, "She can't talk."
Just recently, Trump had stated that he would not participate in a TV debate with Harris, but Harris challenged him, saying that if Trump had something to say, he should say it "to my face."
Biden's performance in the CNN debate at the end of June was disastrous. He spoke with a hoarse voice, struggled with his phrasing, and failed to complete sentences. The subsequent discussion about his performance and doubts about his mental and physical fitness ultimately led to his decision not to run again for the White House. Afterward, Biden endorsed Harris as the new Democratic candidate.
Although Harris is not yet officially confirmed as the Democratic candidate for the November 5th election, her party has stated that she has secured enough votes in the ongoing electronic vote of U.S. Democrats for her official nomination.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, aged 99, has also pledged his support for Harris in the November election. According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, when asked if he hoped to live long enough to celebrate his 100th birthday on October 1st, Carter replied that he wanted to live long enough to vote for the presumed Democratic candidate, Harris. In Georgia, where the interview took place, early voting for the U.S. presidential election begins on October 15th.
Despite Trump's agreement to the debate plan with Fox News, his campaign manager stated, "I'm not going to commit to a specific time or format until I see the terms." During the same event, Trump added, "I'm not going to participate in a one-on-one debate with Kamala Harris if she refuses to agree to the same terms as the first debate."
