US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris will debate on 10 September on ABC.
At a news conference at his residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump stated that he wanted to hold additional debates on 4 and 25 September, which would be broadcast on Fox and NBC. Harris responded to X that she is looking forward to the 10 September debate after Trump “finally committed.”
The Harris campaign has already opposed the Fox debate, saying the host network should be the one that sponsored both parties’ recent preliminary debates. The 10 September debate on ABC was supposed to be the second of two agreed upon between Biden and Trump, following their 27 June debate on CNN.
Thursday’s Palm Beach press conference was Trump’s first public appearance since Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate on Tuesday. Harris and Walz have led rallies in the contested states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin this week, drawing tens of thousands of attendees.
Opinion polls showed Harris eroded Trump’s lead over Biden, with Democrats earning hundreds of millions of dollars from voters and big donors since she became the Democratic nominee.
Still, Trump complained that he would not be able to face Biden in the 5 November election, suggesting the president was the victim of a conspiracy to oust him from the top of the Democratic ticket. Biden abandoned his re-election bid under pressure from fellow Democrats concerned about his chances of winning after his poor debate performance against Trump.
Trump criticises Harris
Asked about Trump’s controversial comments last week that Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, recently “happened to turn Black,” Trump said:
You’ll have to ask her that question, because she’s the one that said it, I didn’t say it. … To me it doesn’t matter. But to her, from her standpoint, I think it’s very disrespectful to both, really, whether it’s Indian or Black, I think it’s very disrespectful to both.
Trump’s initial comments, delivered before an audience of Black journalists, drew widespread condemnation and left donors and aides bewildered and anxious. The former president also mocked the size of Harris’ campaign crowds on Thursday. He criticised Harris for not giving interviews to the press since launching her campaign.
She can’t do an interview. She’s barely competent.
