Trump-Harris agree to presidential debate

ABC News has said it will host the first debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on September 10.

The network confirmed the showdown in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after Trump said on Thursday that he would be open to debating his Democratic rival multiple times before the November election.

“We think we should do three debates,” Trump said, suggesting two additional debates that he said would be hosted by Fox News and NBC, respectively.

Ms Harris confirmed that she will attend the ABC debate while at an event in Michigan on Thursday, but she has not yet weighed in on any additional data.

“I am looking forward to debating Donald Trump and we have a date of September 10. I hear he’s finally committed to it and I’m looking forward to it,” Ms Harris said at the event in Detroit.

Trump, the Republican candidate, debates President Joe Biden once in June.

The two were slated to do so again on 10 September but Mr Biden withdrew from the US presidential race after a disastrous performance against Trump in the televised matchup.

The confirmation of the debate on ABC marks an end to a back-and-forth that followed Mr Biden’s decision to leave the race between the two campaigns over that planned showdown.

Trump had previously said that he wanted a debate hosted by the conservative Fox News network, saying it would take place in Pennsylvania, “at a site in an area to be determined.”

The Harris campaign had maintained they would still like to debate Trump on 10 September.

At a news conference on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump also said he would like to debate Ms Harris two additional times – on September 4 on Fox News and on September 25 on NBC.

Trump said that CBS will host a debate between the two vice-presidential nominees, Republican JD Vance and Democratic Tim Walz.

NBC News is reportedly in discussions with both campaigns about a potential debate this fall and the Harris campaign has not agreed to a Fox News debate, the New York Times reported.

At his news conference, Trump criticized Ms Harris for not holding a news conference or doing an interview since she became the likely Democratic nominee just over two weeks ago.

I have called her “barely competent” and criticized her intelligence.

In a statement, the Harris campaign said that if Trump “is so concerned about the success of VP Harris, he could, you know, get out there on the campaign trail.”

Trump took questions for about an hour – an event held amid reports that his campaign is feeling the pressure from Democrats, who have new enthusiasm under Ms Harris and have been dominating headlines.

National and battleground state polls suggest her campaign has gained some ground in recent days, although the race for the White House remains a close contest.

The former president denied he had “recalibrated” his campaign to challenge Ms Harris instead of Mr Biden, and he appeared to prickle when asked about the audience Ms Harris draws at rallies.

“Oh, give me a break,” he said, arguing that crowds at his rallies were larger than at hers.

His Thursday news conference is the first he has held in several months, as his campaign has previously focused on holding rallies across the country.

Trump also praised his running mate Mr Vance, who was recently under fire for comments he made in 2021 when he said those without children shouldn’t be leading the country and that women who don’t have children are “miserable” and “childless cat ladies”.

“I have to tell you, JD Vance has really stepped up,” Trump said. “He’s doing a fantastic job.”

He took aim at Ms Harris’ track record on immigration and the economy.

And he repeated his belief that US presidents should have a say over interest rates and monetary policy – a departure from the longstanding practice of having the US Federal Reserve, an independent body, oversee these matters.

He emphasized his priorities of lowering inflation, lowering crime rates and strengthening the military.

Ms Harris on Thursday addressed United Auto Workers in Detroit, and thanked the union for endorsing her.

She said there are “89 days to get this done” ahead of the election.