Former President Donald Trump has announced that he will not participate in the scheduled September 10th debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC. Instead, Trump has proposed a new debate date on September 4th on Fox News, making it increasingly unlikely that the two candidates will confront each other on stage before the November election.
In a series of Truth Social posts late Friday, Trump, the Republican nominee, declared that his agreement to the ABC debate “has been terminated” following the withdrawal of Democratic President Joe Biden from the race last month after a poor showing in their first debate. Trump now says he will appear on Fox News in Pennsylvania, under similar rules to those in his debate with Biden, but with a full audience instead of a mostly empty studio. He also mentioned that if Harris does not agree to the new network and date, he plans to hold a “major Town Hall” with Fox News.
Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for Harris, accused Trump of “running scared” and backing out of a debate he had already agreed to, instead seeking refuge on Fox News. Tyler emphasized that Harris is committed to the September 10th time slot and will appear “one way or the other” to address a prime-time national audience.
Trump, in a follow-up Truth Social post on Saturday, stated, “I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all,” indicating his firm stance on the debate rescheduling.
The back-and-forth between the two candidates highlights the tension surrounding the debates. Trump has been ambivalent about debating Harris since she entered the presidential race, at times expressing a sense of obligation while also suggesting that Americans “already know everything” about both candidates. Harris, on the other hand, has challenged Trump to honor his commitment, daring him to “say it to my face” in response to his criticisms.
Trump also pointed to his ongoing litigation against ABC News as a “conflict of interest” in participating in the network’s debate. In March, Trump sued the network after anchor George Stephanopoulos stated that Trump had been found “liable for rape.” While a New York jury did find Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, they rejected her claim of rape.
Despite the lawsuit, Trump had previously agreed to the September 10th debate on ABC, as well as a June 27th debate on CNN, which contributed to Biden’s decision to drop out of the race. ABC’s debate moderators were set to be David Muir and Linsey Davis, not Stephanopoulos.
Trump has a history of skipping debates, including all of the 2024 Republican primary debates, further complicating the prospect of a direct face-off with Harris before the election.
