She’s not ready.
On Monday night, former President Trump announced that Vice President Kamala Harris’ team informed his campaign that she would not take part in a Fox News presidential debate scheduled for September 4. The debate, planned to be held in Pennsylvania, was set to be moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Trump expressed little surprise over Harris’ decision, suggesting that she might struggle to defend her record, including her shifting positions on issues like fracking in Pennsylvania and her performance on border policies. He had initially been hesitant to debate Harris, particularly when President Biden had suspended his re-election campaign and she was not yet the Democratic nominee. However, Trump later agreed to debate Harris once she secured the Democratic nomination.
Both Trump and Harris have confirmed their participation in a debate on ABC News scheduled for September 10. Trump has also agreed to an NBC News debate on September 25. The Harris campaign has indicated it will consider an additional debate in October. Both campaigns have also agreed to a vice presidential debate on CBS News on October 1, featuring Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance.
Harris’ campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, criticized Trump’s approach, emphasizing that voters deserve a clear view of the candidates’ visions for the country. Tyler argued that avoiding debates only reveals a lack of seriousness and confidence from Trump and Vance.
Instead of the Fox News debate, Trump plans to participate in a town hall event in Pennsylvania with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
