NICK POPE (Daily Caller News Foundation)
Former President Donald Trump has agreed to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News in early September.
The debate would be held on Sept. 4 in Pennsylvania at a location to be determined with a live audience, broadcasted on Fox News and moderated by Fox anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, Trump wrote in a Friday night post on Truth Social. Trump was initially scheduled to debate President Joe Biden on ABC in September, but plans have apparently changed after Biden imploded at the June 27 debate against Trump, quit the race July 21 and endorsed Harris.
“I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post. “The FoxNews Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined. The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!”
Fox News Digital also reported on Trump agreeing to debate Harris. Fox News previously invited both candidates to debate each other on the network on Sept. 17, according to the outlet.
“Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out. He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10,” Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler said, according to NBC News. “The Vice President will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime time national audience. We’re happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to. Mr. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace should have no problem with that unless he’s too scared to show up on the 10th.”
Harris, who has clinched the Democratic nomination and is expected to soon announce her running mate, has said that she is prepared to square off with Trump on the debate stage, and she has suggested that the former president was trying to wiggle his way out of the Sept. 10 ABC debate, according to the Associated Press.
In another Friday night post to Truth Social, Trump also ripped Democrats for “unceremoniously” pushing Biden off the ticket in favor of Harris.
“As everyone knows, the Democrats have Unconstitutionally taken a Candidate, who was acknowledged to be defeated, and unceremoniously replaced him with a new Candidate. This has never been done before, and is a Threat to Democracy, but I am totally prepared to accept the results of this ‘coup,’ and replace Joe on the Debate stage with Crazy Kamala Harris,” Trump wrote. “I spent Hundreds of Millions of Dollars, Time, and Effort fighting Joe, and when I won the Debate, they threw a new Candidate into the ring. Not fair, but it is what it is! Nevertheless, different Candidate or not, their bad Policies are the same, and this will be strongly revealed at the September 4th Debate. I look forward to meeting and debating Kamala Harris on September 4th.”
