Kamala Harris Rejects Donald Trump's Debate Proposal

Summary: 

• Harris says no to Trump's request for a more friendly Fox-hosted debate.  
•  Harris intends to take part in the debate originally scheduled for September 10.  
•  Trump attacks Harris' racial identity and calls her afraid.

ATLANTA, August 3 (Reuters) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed a debate with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on September 4 on Fox News. However, the Harris campaign responded that Trump was attempting to pull out of a debate already scheduled to air on ABC. Trump stated in a post on Truth Social late on Friday that the rules would be similar to the first debate with President Joe Biden, who has since withdrawn from the race for office. Trump noted that this debate would take place in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, with a "full arena audience."

Trump and Biden had consented to a second discussion on September 10 on ABC News, which Trump had recommended should be moved to Fox, the network most favored by his supporters. Harris, who on Friday secured the delegate votes needed for the Democratic nomination for the November 5 election, stated on Saturday that she intends to participate in the originally planned debate. She wrote on the social media platform X, "It's interesting how 'any time, any place' becomes 'one specific time, one specific safe space.' I'll be there on September 10, as he requested. I desire to see him there."

Trump was "running scared," according to Harris's spokesperson Michael Tyler, and her campaign was open to discussing additional debates after the one on September 10 that "both campaigns have already agreed to." Trump stated on Truth Social on Saturday that Harris is "afraid to do it" and that he will see her on September 4 "or, I will not see her at all."

Both candidates have been aggressively traveling the country, with Trump testing new attacks on Harris, who, according to some polls, is virtually tied with the former president. Trump attacked Harris' character and the policies she has promoted as vice president at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday night, and he continued to question her racial identity. Trump had erroneously told the nation's largest annual gathering of Black journalists on Thursday that Harris had minimized her Black heritage. Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, has long self-identified as both Black and Asian. She joined a prominent Black sorority while attending a traditionally Black university.

Trump said on Saturday that there were "19 different ways" to pronounce Harris' first name and that she was a "lunatic" with a "low IQ" when he spoke at the same stadium where Harris held a rally on Tuesday. Before Trump took the stage, his campaign displayed an article on a large screen referring to Harris as the "only Indian-American congresswoman."

Additionally, the former president spent a significant portion of his speech criticizing Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of Georgia for failing to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss to Biden in Georgia. Both men drew Trump's ire. In contrast, senior Republicans have advised Trump to avoid attacking conservatives and Harris' identity. Following Trump's speech, the Harris campaign issued a statement from Geoff Duncan, the former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, who criticized Trump's divisive rhetoric.

Trump stated in a Truth Social post on Friday that the ABC debate had been "terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant" and that he was personally involved in ABC litigation. On July 26, ABC described the qualifications for the debate but did not name any candidates. By September, candidates must demonstrate support in the polls and have access to the state ballot.

Recent polls show a close race between Harris and Trump. Trump had a clear advantage over Biden before the president's shaky performance in the first debate. ABC News had no comment on Trump's explanation, and a request for clarification from Fox News went unanswered. Trump's proposal for the Fox debate came shortly after the Democratic National Committee launched a campaign challenging him and questioning his stance on abortion. David Plouffe, a consultant to former President Barack Obama who recently joined the Harris campaign, criticized Trump’s debate proposal, suggesting he prefers a controlled environment.