TV duel between Harris and Trump in early September.
It's not clear yet if he even wants to. Now, the Republican presidential candidate Trump wants to face off against the Democratic opponent Harris in a debate multiple times. Her team has already agreed to one date.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her election opponent Donald Trump will face off in a televised debate on September 10th. ABC, the network hosting the debate, announced this. "Vice President Harris and former President Trump have both confirmed their participation," they stated on their platform.
Trump had previously proposed three televised debates with Harris in September - on the 4th, 10th, and 25th - at a press conference in his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. However, he initially named NBC as the host for the September 10th debate, not ABC. Trump's team later clarified that he had made a mistake and that ABC had been contacted about the September 10th date.
It's still unclear whether there will be one or three debates between the two presidential candidates in September. Neither NBC nor Fox News, the network Trump suggested for the September 4th debate, have made any announcements.
There was a back-and-forth between Trump and the Harris team about the televised debates a few days ago. Before Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race due to concerns about his mental state following his poor performance in the June TV debate with Trump, a second debate on ABC for September 10th had already been agreed upon.
The Republican Trump initially refused to debate Harris, the new Democratic candidate, on that date and suggested a debate on September 4th on the right-leaning, friendly Fox News network. The Harris campaign then accused Trump of being "afraid" and trying to "dodge" the debate. Trump's proposal for three debates seems to be an attempt to counter this accusation.
Trump's press conference was his first public appearance since Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday. Harris and Walz held rallies this week in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, drawing tens of thousands of participants - a sign of how Harris' late entry into the race has energized the Democrats.
The Commission, presumably referring to the Commission on Presidential Debates, has yet to officially confirm the number of debates between Trump and Harris in September. The Commission is reportedly reviewing both Trump's proposal for three debates and ABC's request for a single debate on September 10th.
Regardless of the number of debates, The Commission will oversee the impartial conduction of the discussions between the two presidential candidates.
