Former President Donald Trump has faced significant backlash after announcing his acceptance of a Fox News debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Critics have accused Trump of being "terrified" to debate Harris in a neutral setting and have mocked his insistence on debating under conditions set by the conservative network and in front of his supporters.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared his agreement to participate in a debate on September 4, moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, to be held in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania. Trump indicated that the debate's rules would mirror those of his June 27 CNN debate with President Joe Biden, which included muted microphones, but with the addition of a "full arena audience."
It remains uncertain if Harris has accepted the terms proposed by Fox News. She was previously set to debate Trump at an ABC News event on September 10, which was scheduled before Biden ended his reelection bid. Michael Tyler, Harris' campaign communications director, accused Trump of "running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out."
Responding to Trump's announcement, the liberal media network Meidas Touch tweeted, "Donald Trump has again said he is BACKING OUT of the scheduled ABC debate. He says he will only debate on his safe space on Fox News with a packed arena and moderators of his choosing. He is absolutely terrified of Kamala Harris."
Columnist Laura Bassett criticized Trump's decision, saying, "Harris is still going to show up to the ABC debate he's backing out of and get the photo op with the empty podium. He's an idiot. Saying he's confident enough to debate Biden on ABC but only confident enough to debate Kamala on Fox, in a big full MAGA arena set up to be as close as possible to one of his own rallies, is humiliating, and should be treated as such."
Former Barack Obama speechwriter David Litt added to the mockery by comparing Trump's debate conditions to an unfair sporting event. "I HAVE AGREED TO A SWIM MEET WITH KATIE LEDECKY SO LONG AS SHE WEARS A FULL SUIT OF ARMOR AND HOLDS HER BREATH THE WHOLE TIME ALSO I GET A JET SKI," Litt tweeted.
Democratic pollster and strategist Matt McDermott emphasized that the ABC News debate was still scheduled. "Let's be clear: the ABC News debate is not 'terminated.' It's scheduled, and both candidates already agreed to participate. Donald Trump is backing out because he's afraid of actually debating Kamala Harris."
In his Truth Social post, Trump argued that the Democratic Party had replaced Biden with Harris in an unprecedented and undemocratic move. "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," Trump wrote.
Trump expressed his readiness to debate Harris, stating, "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. This date is convenient and appropriate in that it is just prior to the September 6th start of Early Voting in the 2024 Presidential Election."
Harris' campaign team has accused Trump of being "too scared" to face the vice president in a debate, with spokesperson Michael Tyler challenging Trump to honor his original commitment. "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," Tyler said. "He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on [10 September]."
The political dance over presidential debates is poised to escalate further. Earlier this year, Biden and Trump had agreed to deviate from the traditional debate schedule organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, opting instead for two debates in June and September. However, with Biden's withdrawal and Harris securing the necessary delegates to officially become her party's nominee, the debate dynamics have shifted dramatically.
