Donald Trump and Kamala Harris confirm first debate

ABC News in the US confirmed it would host a debate between the candidates on 10 September.

A composite image of a man and a woman looking serious

Donald Trump made the announcement from his Palm Beach residence in his first appearance since Kamala Harris announced Tim Walz as her running mate. Source: Getty / Kenny Holston-Pool/Spencer Platt

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he is willing to debate his Democratic rival Kamala Harris three times in September on different networks in the US.

Trump said he wanted to hold debates on Fox, NBC and on ABC. He did not offer specific terms, such as whether there would be an audience, and it was not immediately clear whether his campaign had made a proposal to Harris' camp.

ABC News said it would host a debate on 10 September on X, saying both Harris and Trump had confirmed they will attend.
The press conference on Thursday at his Palm Beach, Florida residence was Trump's first public appearance since Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.

Harris, the US vice president, and Walz headlined rallies in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday, drawing tens of thousands of attendees in a fresh sign of how her late entry into the race has galvanised Democrats.

Her rapid rise, following President Joe Biden's decision last month to abandon his faltering campaign, has sent Trump's team scrambling to recalibrate their strategy and messaging.

Opinion polls show Harris has erased the lead Trump had built over Biden, and Democrats have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars from voters and big donors in a matter of weeks.
The Harris campaign cancelled events on Thursday in North Carolina and on Friday in Georgia, where Tropical Storm Debby is bringing heavy rain and dangerous flooding.

The Democrats will head to Arizona and Nevada later this week, visiting two more swing states likely to play a key role in the 5 November election.

Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, also cancelled campaign events in North Carolina on Thursday due to the storm.
He has spent the last few days trailing Harris and Walz around the country, an unusual move intended to provide a "contrast," he told reporters on Wednesday.

The Trump campaign has criticised Harris for not taking questions from reporters since launching her campaign over two weeks ago.

Trump has conducted a steady stream of media interviews, though they are usually with friendly, right-leaning outlets and reporters.

On Wednesday, he called into the Fox & Friends morning program and took questions from the program's hosts.

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3 min read
Published 9 August 2024 6:28am
Updated 9 August 2024 6:33am
Source: Reuters, SBS



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