Trump Pitches Debates With Harris in Bid to Reshape Race

Republican nominee Donald Trump proposed three debates with Vice President Kamala Harris during a press conference as he sought to regain momentum for a campaign overshadowed in recent days by his new 2024 rival.

Trump said he had agreed to debates with Fox, NBC and ABC in September but acknowledged that the Harris campaign has yet to sign off on the plan. He also said he believed CBS would host a vice presidential debate.

“They may or may not agree, I don’t know if they’re going to agree,” Trump said Thursday at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. 

Trump’s campaign in a post on X clarified that the debates are slated for Sept. 4 with Fox, Sept. 10 with ABC and Sept. 25 with NBC, dates that differed from what the former president offered at his press conference. 

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump also assailed Harris for not doing a sitdown interview with the media since her entry into the presidential race in July.

“She hasn’t done an interview, she can’t do an interview,” Trump said.

Trump had previously declined to follow through on a debate set for Sept. 10 with ABC News that he originally agreed to with President Joe Biden. Harris’ campaign dismissed earlier calls for a debate on Fox, an outlet friendly to Trump and Republicans, banking that the ABC forum would go ahead if any of the qualified candidates attend.

Thursday’s post on social media from his campaign suggests that Trump is agreeing to the ABC debate he had previously balked at attending.

Trump has previously dismissed the need for a debate, saying there’s no reason to participate because he’s leading in the polls and “everybody knows” him. Trump has led for much of the race, but Harris has cut into his margin in recent weeks. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll from July shows a dead-heat across seven swing states. Some national polls have found her mounting a small lead.

Earlier this year, Trump exerted heavy pressure on Biden to debate “Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace.” In Trump’s June debate with Biden, the president delivered a disastrous performance that eventually led him to end his reelection bid and endorse Harris.

With assistance from Josh Wingrove.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.