Palm Beach, Florida.- Donald Trump has recommitted to a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris after recently backing out.
As Trump spoke to reporters at his Palm Beach, Florida, mansion on Thursday, ABC reported that both the former president and the Democratic presidential nominee have agreed to hold a debate on Sept. 10, a widely anticipated showdown in an already unprecedented election. Trump said he had proposed three debates with three television networks in September.
During the news conference, Trump again wrongly insisted that there had been a “peaceful transfer” of presidential power in 2021, and resumed his attacks on Republican rivals such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whom Trump has sharply criticized since Kemp refused to back Trump’s false theories that election fraud occurred in 2020.
As he answered questions from reporters for more than an hour, Trump sought to draw a contrast with Harris, who has not held a news conference since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Trump’s decision to turn to ABC sets the stage for a high-stakes moment in an election in which Biden’s disastrous performance in the final debate was the factor that led to his departure.
Just five days ago, Trump had declared that he would not debate on ABC, noting that his agreement with the network had been “terminated.” He wrote on his social media account that if Harris did not appear on Fox News on September 4, “then I will not watch her at all.”
On Thursday, the former president announced a change of heart, and attempted to pressure Harris into agreeing to two more debates in September on Fox and NBC.
Asked what he would do if Harris only agrees to the debate on ABC, he said: “I don’t know how that would work out. We would like to do three debates. We think we should do three debates.”
Hours after the news conference, Harris told reporters she was “glad that (Trump) has finally committed” to debating her on ABC on Sept. 10, the date originally set for a Biden-Trump face-off.
“I’m looking forward to it and I hope he shows up,” he added.
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