Donald Trump has backtracked on debating Kamala Harris. Will it ever happen?
It's looking like Donald Trump won't debate Kamala Harris in September after all.
Former President Donald Trump’s tune regarding his willingness to debate presidential hopeful Kamala Harris continues to change like the wind.
Following Harris’ announcement she was pursuing the Democratic nomination, Trump expressed hesitancy about a debate on Truth Social, saying he didn’t know who he’d be debating and that the debates should be hosted by right-leaning Fox News. By Tuesday, he softened his stance, saying he’d like to debate Harris multiple times without committing to dates.
But in a new series of communications from Trump and a campaign spokesperson, the former president once again refused to commit to appearing at a Sept. 10 debate originally scheduled to be between Trump and President Joe Biden.
The former president and his office say their lack of commitment hinges on not yet knowing if Harris will definitely be the Democratic Party’s candidate. As of publication time, a majority of Democratic delegates — nearly 4,000 — have committed to backing Harris. She would need 1,976 delegates on the first ballot during next month’s Democratic National Convention to secure the nomination. Delegates are expected to vote virtually to confirm Harris as the party’s nominee as early as Aug. 7, CNN reports.
Harris on Thursday evening accused Trump of “backpedaling” on the debate. “What happened to ‘any time, any place?’” she said in a tweet.
“I have agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10th debate, he agreed to that previously,” Harris told reporters Thursday after landing at Joint Base Andrews. “Now it appears he’s backpedaling. But I’m ready. And I think that the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage and so, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
At a rally in Northeast Philadelphia with union leaders Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who is said to be on Harris’ vice presidential short-list, said that Trump is “afraid” to debate Harris.
”He’s afraid to stand toe-to-toe with our vice president,” Shapiro said. “It’s because he can’t run away from his record any longer.”
Following Trump’s endorsement of a Fox News debate, the broadcast station proposed to both campaigns a debate for Sept. 17. It’s unclear if anything will happen there.
Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.