Kamala Harris accuses Donald Trump of delaying presidential debate plans

Kamala Harris accuses Donald Trump of delaying debate plans, as Trump says it depends on Harris’ formal nomination.

Kamala Harris has accused Donald Trump of “backpedalling” on a scheduled presidential debate set for September. The Trump campaign has stated that it will not finalise debate plans until Harris is formally nominated as the Democratic candidate. “I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” Harris said on Thursday. She added that she is “ready to debate Donald Trump” and had planned a debate hosted by ABC News for September 10.

This debate was one of two initially agreed upon by Joe Biden and Trump. The first debate, hosted by CNN on June 27, saw Biden delivering a performance that intensified concerns about his age and led to his withdrawal from the race. Biden subsequently endorsed Harris, who has secured enough delegate support to be the Democratic nominee, though she is set to formally accept the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in mid-August.

Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung stated, “General election debate details cannot be finalised until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.” Cheung added, “It would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds.”

Trump has suggested shifting the debate to Fox News but expressed willingness to debate Harris multiple times. Republican consultant Alex Conant noted that debates can be “decisive” as they are a key moment when voters pay significant attention. This year’s campaign has already demonstrated the impact of debates, with Biden’s performance contributing to his decision to withdraw from the re-election bid.