The 2024 US presidential election is heating up as Republican nominee Donald Trump has proposed a debate with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris on Fox News on September 4. However, the Harris campaign has accused Trump of attempting to back out of the originally scheduled debate on ABC News on September 10.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, suggested that the debate rules would mirror those of the first debate with President Joe Biden, who has since withdrawn from the race. He proposed holding the debate in the battleground state of Pennsylvania with a “full arena audience.”
The Harris campaign responded to Trump’s proposal by pointing out his shifting stance on the debate. Harris, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said, “It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space’. I’ll be there on Sept. 10, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there.”
Harris’s spokesperson, Michael Tyler, stated that Trump is “running scared” and that her campaign is open to discussing further debates after the September 10 event.
Trump, on the other hand, claimed that Harris is afraid to face him in a debate. He stated on Truth Social, “I will see her on Sept. 4 or I won’t see her at all.”
Trump’s proposal to move the debate to Fox News came shortly after the Democratic National Committee launched an ad campaign targeting Trump, calling him a “convicted felon afraid to debate.” The ad speculates that his reluctance to debate might stem from his position on abortion.
David Plouffe, an advisor to former President Barack Obama who recently joined the Harris campaign, commented on social media, “Now, he seems only comfortable in a cocoon, asking his happy place Fox to host a Trump rally and call it a debate. Maybe he can only handle debating someone his own age.”
The clash over the debate format and location adds another layer of tension to the already contentious 2024 presidential race. It remains to be seen whether the two candidates will ultimately agree on a date, time, and platform for a face-to-face debate.
