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Donald Trump has committed to debating likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, insisting he would be “willing to do more than one” head-to-head with the vice president.
In a call with reporters on Tuesday, the former president said that he believed it was “important” to take on Harris and that respective party nominees had an “obligation” to debate each other.
Trump’s now infamous clash in the first debate with Joe Biden last month marked the beginning of the end of the president’s reelection campaign.
Following Biden’s withdrawal from the race Harris has already received the overwhelming backing of her party to become his replacement.
And Trump says he is ready to get on the debate stage with her before the country goes to the polls in November.
“I think if you’re in the Democratic nominee or Republican nominee, you really have an obligation to debate,” Trump told reporters, though he went on to blast ABC, the network that was set to host his next contest with Biden.
Asked if he would be willing to debate Harris, he added: “Oh yes, absolutely, I’d want to. I think it’s important.”
Trump went on: “I’m not thrilled about ABC because they’re truly fake news… They’re actually trying to make a hero out of Joe Biden, when he was the worst president in history, and they were doing things like with Kamala like what a wonderful thing it is that she is running.
“I don’t like the idea of ABC, I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually.”
The first debate, hosted by CNN took place on June 27, with the second scheduled to be hosted by ABC News on September 10
Trump also said he expected that his debate against Harris would have the same result as his debate against Biden. “I want to debate her and she’ll be no different because they have the same policies,” he said.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Harris held her first campaign rally since receiving the official endorsement from Biden, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the site of the recent Republican National Convention.
In an energetic, punchy speech, Harris paid tribute to Biden, and attacked the former president with a seemingly new catchphrase: “I know Donald Trump’s type.”
