Trump Withdraws from ABC Debate, Proposes Fox News Alternative

Former President Donald Trump has pulled out of a planned presidential debate scheduled for September 10 on ABC, opting instead to propose a new debate on Fox News Channel for September 4. 

The ABC debate, which was initially agreed upon by both the Trump campaign and President Joe Biden's campaign, was set to feature moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. 

However, following Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race in July, Vice President Kamala Harris has taken over as the Democratic nominee and has committed to participating in the ABC debate.

In a statement posted on Truth Social late Friday, Trump declared that the ABC debate had been “terminated,” citing conflicts with the network and ongoing legal disputes. 

Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos related to a court ruling on sexual abuse claims against him. The former president recently confronted ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott at a National Association of Black Journalists event.

The Harris campaign responded by accusing Trump of evading the debate he had previously agreed to and attempting to find a “bailout” through Fox News. Harris plans to honor her commitment to the ABC debate and take advantage of the opportunity to address a national primetime audience. 

The Harris campaign remains open to discussing additional debates following the previously agreed-upon event.

Fox News has reached out to both campaigns with a proposal for a debate on September 17, one week after the ABC event. Fox News President Jay Wallace has suggested hosting the debate in Pennsylvania, moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. 

Wallace indicated flexibility on the date, format, and location of the debate, including the potential use of microphone muting to ensure a more focused discussion.

The tradition of presidential debates has evolved significantly, with the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates having organized them from 1988 to 2020. In recent years, both major parties have sought to bypass this organization in favor of debates tailored to their own preferences.

Notably, a CNN debate in June significantly impacted President Biden's standing, as he appeared fatigued during the event, which was broadcast without a live audience and featured muted microphones. The debate, which attracted approximately 51.27 million viewers, was also interspersed with commercial breaks—an approach once considered unconventional.