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topicnews · August 28, 2024

Donald Trump questions his participation in the debate on September 10

Donald Trump questions his participation in the debate on September 10

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Former President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed doubts about whether he would participate in the first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Why should I have the debate against Kamala Harris on this network?” Trump asked in a post on Truth Social. He criticized Jonathan Karl’s interview with Tom Cotton on ABC’s “This Week” and the show’s commentary panel.

ABC News will host the debate on September 10, the only debate both candidates have agreed to before Election Day in November. The agreement came after much back-and-forth after Trump requested a debate on September 4 on Fox News, which the vice president’s campaign team did not accept.

Trump focused his criticism in part on Donna Brazile, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee who came under fire in 2016 after Wikileaks released emails showing she sent town hall topics to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The former president also claimed that Harris’ close friend was “running” ABC in an apparent reference to Dana Walden.

Walden, a Disney executive, has been friends with Harris for a long time, but according to ABC News, Walden only works in the company’s corporate and financial sectors.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump’s campaign, said in a statement Monday that disagreement between the Democratic and Republican camps over debate rules continued, including debate seating, note-taking and other factors.

Across the aisle, the Harris campaign rejected Miller’s claim. Brian Fallon, the Harris campaign’s senior communications adviser, said in a statement that they believe “both candidates’ microphones should be on throughout the broadcast” and criticized Trump’s history of repeatedly interrupting his debate opponent.

Are there any other debates besides the one planned for 10 September?

Harris’ team has agreed to a second debate, but it is not clear when and where it will take place. The Harris-Waltz campaign said in a statement earlier this month: “The debate about debates is over. Donald Trump’s campaign has accepted our proposal for three debates – two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate.”

“Assuming Donald Trump does indeed show up to debate Vice President Harris on September 10, Governor Walz will speak with JD Vance on October 1 and the American people will have another opportunity to see the Vice President and Donald Trump on the debate stage in October,” the campaign said.

Trump and Harris’ running mates – Senator JD Vance (Republican, Ohio) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – have both agreed to a debate hosted by CBS News on October 1.

USA TODAY has contacted ABC News for comment.

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