Trump and Harris will debate on ABC; Trump said he wants two more

In what polls indicate is a close race, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic competitor Kamala Harris will square off in their first in-person debate on September 10 on ABC.

Trump stated that he wants more debates to run on Fox (FOXA.O), opens new tab, and NBC (CMCSA.O), opens new tab, on September 4 and September 25, respectively, at a press conference at his Palm Beach, Florida, home.

Harris expressed her excitement for the September 10 debate in a post on X, saying that she felt Trump had “finally committed.”

Following a campaign event in the Detroit region, she informed reporters that she was willing to talk about doing future debates. However, a campaign spokesman reaffirmed the campaign’s stance that a Fox debate on September 4 is not possible.

The official stated that Trump’s participation in the ABC debate on September 10 is a must for discussing future debates. Prior to this, the Harris team had opposed a Fox debate, arguing that the hosting network ought to be one that supported recent primary discussions between the major parties.

Before Harris, the U.S. vice president, upset the race less than three weeks ago by unseating President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, Trump had previously hinted he may withdraw from the ABC (DIS.N), opens new tab discussion. Sept.

After their June 27 CNN debate, Biden and Trump had agreed to two debates, the second of which was scheduled for June 10 on ABC.

According to an Ipsos poll released on Thursday, Harris’s advantage against Trump has grown since the end of July. In contrast to a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted July 22–23, which showed her leading Trump 37% to 34%, she now leads him 42% to 37%.

Trump made his public debut on Thursday at the press conference in Palm Beach, after Harris’ Tuesday announcement that she will run with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

This week, Harris and Walz have been the main attractions at rallies in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Tens of thousands of people attended, offering more evidence of how Democrats have been energized by her late entry into the race. The Democratic duo made their appearance at a union hall on Thursday, coinciding with the campaign’s assertion that labor unions are crucial to shifting the electoral tide.

The swift ascent of Harris has caused Trump’s staff to reevaluate its approach and communication. As the party’s nominee, Harris has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from large contributors and people, wiping out the advantage that Trump held over Biden, according to surveys.

On Thursday, Trump emphasized that his strategy for the race had not changed. Trump veered from topic to issue during a more than hour-long Q&A session with reporters, claiming that Harris and Walz are unqualified.

However, Trump bemoaned the fact that he would not be able to run against Biden on November 5 and said that the president was the victim of a scheme to remove him from the top spot on the Democratic ticket.

Under pressure from other Democrats concerned about his prospects of winning following a dismal debate performance against Trump, Biden withdrew his flagging reelection effort.

When questioned about his contentious remarks from the previous week suggesting that Harris, an Indian and Black woman, had “happened to turn Black,” Trump replied, “You’ll have to ask her that question, because she’s the one that said it, I didn’t say it…. It makes no difference to me. However, from her perspective, she believes that it is extremely demeaning to both Black and Indian people alike.”

Donors and advisers were confused and worried by Trump’s original remarks, which were made in front of an audience of Black journalists and received worldwide condemnation. The Trump team refrained from commenting more or offering proof of the Harris statements that Trump claimed he was referencing right away.

Trump made fun of Harris’ campaign crowd sizes on Thursday as well, despite the fact that they have recently surpassed his. He made up the story that the throng he spoke to on January 6, 2021, the day his followers seized the U.S. Capitol, was the same size as the one that gathered for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall in Washington.

According to Trump, “We actually had more people.” “But I’m ok with it, because I liked Dr. Martin Luther King.”

According to the National Constitution Center, King spoke in August 1963 to an estimated 250,000 people. According to the House of Representatives Select Committee’s “187 minutes of dereliction” report, opens new tab, Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 rally gathered around 53,000 supporters.

Trump attacked Harris for not having a press interview since beginning her candidacy, reiterating a recent attack line from his team.

“She is unable to do an interview. “She’s barely competent,” Trump remarked, later labeling her “nasty,” a standard insult directed at female opponents.

Trump has given interviews to the media on a regular basis, however most of them are with amiable, right-wing publications and journalists. He appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning, answering questions from the hosts.

On Thursday morning, Trump made the announcement about the Palm Beach press conference on his social media accounts. The advance warning required for a limited group of reporters to make it to his Florida property on time was withheld. There was no invitation sent to Reuters.

Following the United Auto Workers union’s support of her campaign, Harris met with auto workers in Wayne, Michigan, on Thursday and responded to a few questions from reporters. Her goal is to set up a face-to-face interview “before the end of the month.”