(Washington) Former US President Donald Trump said Friday that he had agreed with Fox News to debate on September 4 with Vice President Kamala Harris, now assured of being the Democratic Party’s nominee for the US presidential election.
“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee in November, wrote on his Truth Social platform, without specifying whether Mr.me Harris had agreed to the debate.
Mr Trump’s message, released shortly before midnight, came hours after the vice president’s candidacy won the support of more than half of her party’s delegates in an online vote.
SCREENSHOT
Kamala Harris is expected to formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for November’s election after polls close Monday.
On July 21, President Biden, 81, gave up his bid for a second term and endorsed his vice president. Mr. Biden withdrew following a disastrous performance in a June CNN debate against Mr. Trump, in which he appeared severely weakened.
A second Trump-Biden televised debate was scheduled for September 10 on ABC. Donald Trump’s spokesman Steven Cheung had judged last week that it was “inappropriate” to schedule it to go ahead, with Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden, before Mr.me Harris has not been officially nominated as the Democratic candidate.
The 78-year-old Republican candidate had recently said he was eschewing tradition and would not debate Mr.me Harris, who is nearly 20 years her junior.
Last month, Mme Harris, a former California attorney general, challenged Mr. Trump to a face-to-face debate.
“Donald, I hope you will reconsider meeting me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you have something to say, say it to my face,” Mr.me Harris at a rally in Atlanta.
PHOTO NICOLE CRAINE, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Kamala Harris attended a rally in Atlanta on July 30.
In his message, Mr Trump said the debate would take place in Pennsylvania, and named the moderators, specifying that it would be held in public.
Fox News confirmed on its website that the debate would take place in front of an audience and follow similar rules to CNN’s June 27 Trump-Biden debate.
“I look forward to meeting and debating with Kamala Harris on September 4th,” Trump added, saying the date was “convenient and appropriate” because it comes just before early voting begins for the presidential election on September 6th.
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