Trump agrees to debate Harris on Fox News, setting the stage for a highly anticipated political showdown.
A full audience is expected to attend the event scheduled for September 4 in Pennsylvania.
Fox News will host a public debate between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Following the previous disastrous showdown between US President Joe Biden and former President Trump, where the latter emerged victorious leading to his opponent’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
On Friday, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he had accepted a proposal from Fox to hold the event. The debate is scheduled for September 4th in Pennsylvania, which is considered a swing state. However, the exact venue has not yet been determined.
The Republican stated that the rules for the upcoming event will resemble those of his previous debate with Sleepy Joe, despite how unfairly Biden has been treated by his party. Additionally, Trump shared that their previously scheduled ABC debate was cancelled due to Biden withdrawing and litigation against George Stephanopoulos creating a conflict of interest.
Even though Harris has not officially accepted the debate and its conditions, she confirmed her readiness to confront Trump last month. Initially, he expressed reluctance towards debating with Harris as she was not an official nominee of the Republican party. However, on Friday, after being endorsed by Biden two weeks ago, Harris finally secured the Democratic nomination giving way for a potential debate between them.
On July 21, the current president who is 81 years old concluded his campaign amidst growing apprehension about his age and suitability for office. His debate performance against Trump, along with several blunders, contributed to these concerns. Multiple media outlets indicated that he withdrew due to political pressure from within his own party as many significant Democratic donors abandoned him.
In July, an ABC/Ipsos poll revealed that Trump’s approval rating had increased to 40% after he survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Trump’s security detail and narrowly missed the former president’s head but grazed his ear with the bullet.
