Harris and Trump to face off in prime-time debate on September 10
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to engage in three debates with his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, across different television networks. This move comes as part of his campaign strategy to present his positions and challenge Harris on various issues before the election.
Trump revealed at a press conference held at his Mar-a-Lago residence that he has proposed the debates to be broadcast on Fox News, NBC, and ABC. Specifically, Trump suggested holding the debates on September 4 on Fox News, September 10 on NBC, and September 25 on ABC.
“I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight,” Trump stated, expressing his eagerness to participate in these public discussions.
However, there appears to have been some confusion regarding the scheduling of these debates. Reports indicate that Trump may have mixed up the dates. The accurate schedule proposed is September 4 on Fox News, September 10 on ABC, and September 25 on NBC. To date, ABC has confirmed that it will indeed host the debate on September 10, marking the first debate between Trump and Harris.
Trump also mentioned that CBS would host a debate between J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for Vice President, and Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee. This announcement adds to the series of debates scheduled for the election cycle.
The September 10 debate on ABC was initially part of a series of two debates that Trump and President Joe Biden had agreed upon before Biden’s withdrawal from the race. Trump’s hesitance and subsequent remarks about preferring a debate hosted by Fox News led to criticism from Harris’s campaign, which accused Trump of trying to avoid debating her.
The first debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle occurred on June 27, where Trump faced President Biden in a CNN-hosted debate. Following a contentious and poorly received performance by Biden, he withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed Kamala Harris, setting the stage for her to become the Democratic nominee and the focus of Trump’s proposed debates.
