Former President Donald Trump has confirmed he will debate Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on September 4, 2024, with the event set to be broadcast on Fox News.
The announcement came via Trump's Truth Social account late Friday, although the Harris campaign has yet to verify the debate's details.
In his post, Trump outlined that the debate's format would echo the rules of his previous encounter with President Joe Biden, who has since withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race.
Trump characterised Biden as having been poorly treated by his party and suggested that the upcoming debate would feature a "full arena audience," a notable departure from the format of his earlier debate with Biden, which lacked an in-house audience.
The timing of Trump’s announcement followed a provocative advertising campaign by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which criticized Trump with the slogan, "the convicted felon is afraid to debate," and hinted that his reluctance might be linked to his stance on abortion issues. The DNC’s campaign sought to challenge Trump’s commitment to debating Harris, questioning whether his stance was influenced by political pressures.
Earlier in the week, Trump had indicated he would not debate Harris due to her not being the official Democratic candidate.
However, after Biden endorsed Harris following his withdrawal from the race on July 21, Harris secured the delegate votes required to clinch the Democratic nomination. This shift prompted Trump to reconsider his stance on the debate.
Fox News has yet to confirm the specifics of the event, and Trump’s post experienced a brief removal before being reposted. Notably, Trump had previously proposed a "major" town hall gathering on the same date as a contingency if Harris declined to participate in the debate.
In response to Fox News’ proposal for a debate between Trump and Harris on September 17, Harris had earlier indicated her readiness. The debate is set to take place in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state for the upcoming presidential election.
