US vice-president Kamala Harris鈥檚 campaign on Saturday dismissed Donald Trump鈥檚 announcement that he was willing to debate her on the conservative Fox News network, after he declined to participate in a previously scheduled debate on ABC.
Earlier, the vice-president had secured the Democratic Party鈥檚 nomination as standard bearer in the November presidential election.
聽鈥楧onald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out,鈥� her campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. 鈥楬e needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10.鈥�
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said late Friday that he had agreed to debate his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on Fox News on September 4.
鈥業 have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday,
September 4th,鈥� Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump鈥檚 White House bid was turned upside down last month when 81-year-old President Joe Biden, facing growing concerns about his age and lagging polling numbers, abandoned his re-election bid and backed Harris.
His decision to bow out followed a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June on CNN.
A second Trump-Biden debate had been slated for September 10 on ABC.
That was expected to go ahead as planned, with Harris replacing Biden, but a spokesman for Trump last week said it would be 鈥榠nappropriate鈥� to schedule a debate before Harris was formally the Democratic nominee.
The 78-year-old Republican nominee had previously said he would not debate Harris, who is nearly two decades his junior, departing from political tradition.
The former prosecutor and ex-California attorney general last month dared Trump to debate her face-to-face.
鈥榃ell Donald, I do hope you鈥檒l reconsider to meet me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you鈥檝e got something to say, say it to my face,鈥� Harris said at a campaign rally in Atlanta.
In his post, Trump said the debate will be held in Pennsylvania, and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum in front of a full audience.
Fox News confirmed that the debate would have 鈥榮pectators鈥� and follow similar rules to the June 27 CNN debate between Trump and Biden.
The news channel said it had invited Trump and Harris to participate in a debate in Pennsylvania in September.
鈥業 look forward to meeting and debating Kamala Harris on September 4th,鈥� Trump said, adding the date was 鈥榗onvenient and appropriate鈥� as it comes just before the September 6 start of early voting for the presidential election.
