Former President Donald Trump said he has agreed to three debates against Vice President Kamala Harris in a bid to “set the record straight” against the new Democratic nominee.
“I think it’s very important to have debates, and we’ve agreed with Fox on a date of Sept. 4. We’ve agreed with NBC, fairly full agreement, subject to them on Sept. 10, and we’ve agreed with ABC on Sept. 25. So, we have those three dates,” Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
His campaign quickly clarified that the ABC News debate will be held on Sept. 10, which Harris previously agreed to, and the NBC News debate will be held on Sept. 25.
“The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don’t know if they’re going to agree. They, she, hasn’t done an interview. She can’t do an interview. She’s barely competent,” Trump taunted Harris.
At a campaign stop in Detroit on Thursday, Harris claimed she was “glad that he’s finally agreed to a debate on Sept. 10,” according to a pool report.
“I am beyond trying to speculate about how he thinks,” Harris said when asked why Trump had originally backed out of the debate.
She has not confirmed the two other debates.
“I am happy to have that conversation about an additional debate, or after Sept. 10, for sure,” Harris told reporters, per pool reports.
The vice president’s campaign has not held a press conference since President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he was suspending his campaign, a fact Trump sought to exploit with his news conference.
However, Harris sought to block those criticisms when she addressed the pool Thursday evening.
“I’ve talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” she said.
Trump previously canceled the ABC News debate on Sept. 10, claiming he had agreed to debate Biden, not Harris.
Trump’s campaign schedule is relatively light in comparison to Harris, who, alongside her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), has embarked on a battleground state tour this week.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, has emerged as the GOP attack dog as he has held campaign stops in the same cities as Harris.
“We also have CBS, who’s going to do the vice presidential debate,” Trump said, although it’s unclear if Walz has agreed to the debate. “And I have to tell you, J.D. Vance has really stepped up. He’s doing a fantastic job.”
Since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has narrowed Trump’s advantage and, in some polls, ranked higher than the former president. The Cook Political Report changed its rating of Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada from “lean Republican” to “toss-up.”
“Fortunately, we’ve had some very good polls over the last, fairly short period of time,” Trump claimed Thursday.
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The Harris campaign slammed the Thursday event as a “meltdown” hours before Trump took the podium.
“Donald Trump craves media attention, he’s not getting it, and so he is throwing tantrums online and today at his country club for the media,” spokesman Ammar Moussa said. “The self-obsessed, convicted felon is incensed he’s not in the spotlight as Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz barnstorm the nation talking about their vision for an America of opportunity and security — where freedom and democracy are protected, and everyone has a fair shot, not just to get by, but to get ahead.”
