Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Thursday that she would participate in just one debate before the upcoming election, falling short of the three debates that former President Donald Trump has proposed. According to an official from the Harris campaign, she will not participate in the September 4 debate on Fox News that Trump had suggested, as reported by ABC News correspondent Selina Wang.
Wang also noted that Harris is making any future debates “contingent” on Trump attending the ABC News debate set for September 10. This move comes after Trump and his campaign laid out plans for three debates in September, including the ABC and Fox News events, as well as a third debate hosted by NBC News on September 25.
During a press conference, Trump expressed doubts that Harris would commit to all the debates, labeling her as “barely competent” and criticizing her reluctance to do interviews as a presidential candidate. Harris later told NBC News she was “looking forward” to the September 10 debate, and ABC News confirmed that both campaigns had agreed to that event. While NBC News and Fox News indicated discussions were ongoing regarding their debates, neither network had finalized any plans by Thursday.
Trump had previously faced President Joe Biden in a CNN debate in late June, where Biden’s poor performance led to a significant loss of confidence within the Democratic Party, ultimately resulting in his withdrawal from the race. After securing the Democratic nomination, Harris suggested she might skip the ABC debate, causing Trump to accuse her of being “scared” and trying to dodge a debate she had initially agreed to when Biden was still in the race.
