Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced that he will participate in a debate with Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on September 4. This announcement came through a post on Truth Social late Friday night, though the Harris campaign has yet to confirm the event.
"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," Trump stated, referring to President Joe Biden, who recently withdrew from the reelection race and endorsed Harris. Trump's post was temporarily removed but later reposted without his proposal for a "major" town hall event on the same date if Harris was "unwilling or unable to debate."
The Harris campaign remained tight-lipped, offering no comment on Trump's announcement. Fox News also did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation.
The announcement from Trump followed a new advertising campaign launched by the Democratic National Committee on Friday, which taunted Trump by labeling him a "convicted felon afraid to debate" and questioning his stance on abortion.
The debate is scheduled to take place in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, with a "full arena audience," a stark contrast to the previous debate between Trump and Biden, which had no in-house audience due to pandemic restrictions.
Harris had previously expressed her readiness for the debate after Fox News proposed the event for September 17. However, following Biden's withdrawal on July 21, Trump initially stated he would not debate Harris because she was not yet the official candidate. Harris secured the necessary delegate votes to clinch the Democratic nomination on Friday, further solidifying her position.
In a twist, former President Barack Obama endorsed Harris just a day after Trump's refusal, adding momentum to her campaign.
