Trump refuses to debate Kamala Harris unless it’s on Fox News

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are at odds over which network should host their upcoming debate. 

Trump has stated his willingness to debate Kamala Harris on Fox News in September. However, the Vice President has not agreed to this change. Initially, Trump had consented to a debate on ABC News against Joe Biden. This was before Biden ended his re-election campaign.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump announced the debate for 4 September in Pennsylvania. He cited a conflict of interest due to his defamation lawsuit against ABC and host George Stephanopoulos. 

The lawsuit followed Stephanopoulos' claim that Trump was “found liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case. Trump had previously been ordered to pay $83 million for defamatory statements against the columnist.

Trump's statement read: "The Debate was previously scheduled against...Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest." 

He added that Fox News' Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would moderate, with rules similar to his 27 June debate with Biden, this time including a studio audience.

On Saturday, Harris’s campaign, referencing Trump's past debate challenge to Biden, clarified her rejection of the Fox News debate terms. 

Harris campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said in a statement shared on X: "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 continued, "He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on [10 September]. The vice-president will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime-time national audience. We’re happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to." Harris herself posted: "It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’"

The Vice President had previously expressed her readiness to debate Trump, accusing him of backing out of the ABC arrangement. 

On Saturday, Trump claimed Harris was “afraid” to “do a REAL debate” against him, stating, “I’ll see [Harris] on September 4th or I won’t see her at all.”

Following Biden's withdrawal from the race, the political dynamic has intensified. Trump and Harris are now polling evenly. Both parties previously agreed to bypass the typical three debates, instead holding two in June and September.