Trump proposes election debate on Fox News, Harris says no

Former President Donald Trump has proposed a debate on Fox News with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee. This proposal comes after Trump announced he would no longer participate in the previously scheduled ABC News debate on September 10, citing the withdrawal of President Joe Biden from the race as the reason for the change.

Trump's announcement was made on his social media platform, Truth Social, where he stated that the Fox News debate would take place on September 4 in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state. The debate would be moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum and would feature a live audience, unlike the previous debate hosted by CNN, which had no audience due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Harris campaign, however, has firmly rejected Trump's proposal, insisting that the original plan for the ABC News debate should be honored. Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Harris campaign, accused Trump of trying to avoid the agreed-upon debate and seeking refuge with Fox News. Tyler emphasized that Harris would be present at the ABC debate on September 10, ready to address a national audience.

Harris herself echoed this sentiment in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), challenging Trump to meet her on the debate stage as originally planned. She criticized Trump's reluctance to commit to the ABC debate, suggesting that he was "running scared."

The controversy began after President Biden's poor performance in a CNN debate on June 27, which led to mounting pressure from his party and ultimately his decision to withdraw from the race on July 21. Following Biden's exit, Harris announced her candidacy and quickly secured the majority of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination. The Democratic National Convention, set to take place from August 19-22 in Chicago, will officially nominate Harris as the party's candidate.

As the debate saga unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Trump will reconsider his stance and participate in the ABC debate or if the two candidates will face off on Fox News as he proposed. The political landscape continues to shift, with both campaigns preparing for what promises to be a contentious and closely watched election season.