During an hour-long press conference on Wednesday (August 7), Donald Trump reiterated his commitment to facing Vice President Kamala Harris in a debate.
Amid Trump's meandering press conference at his Palm Beach, Florida residence, ABC declared that he and Ms Harris had decided to participate in a presidential debate in September, establishing a much-awaited showdown in the lead-up to the US presidential election.
This news conference marked Trump's first public appearance since Ms Harris announced on Tuesday (August 6) that she would be running with Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota.
Prior to the former president's withdrawal from the campaign, both Trump and Joe Biden initially agreed to participate in the ABC debate.
But when will Ms Harris debate Trump? Here’s what we know.
When will Kamal Harris debate Donald Trump?
Ms Harris and Trump are set to debate on September 10 with ABC.
Trump also wants to add two more dates – September 4 with Fox News and September 25 with NBC.
Locations and the audience were among the "minor details" that Trump claimed were still being worked out.
At a press conference held at his Florida Mar-a-Lago club, Trump declared that he had accepted the proposed dates with Fox News, ABC, and NBC and that he was “looking forward” to debate the vice president.
“The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don’t know if they’re going to agree. (Harris) hasn’t done an interview. She can’t do an interview. She’s barely competent, and she can’t do an interview, I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight,” he said.
Ms Harris, who had earlier consented to the ABC debate, declared she would be "happy" to talk about another debate.
“I’m glad that he’s finally agreed to a debate on September 10. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope he shows up,” Ms Harris said to reporters before boarding Air Force Two in Detroit after an event with the United Auto Workers.
Asked if she would be amenable to the other discussions that Trump has brought up, Harris said: “I’m happy to have that conversation about an additional debate for after September 10.”
When the debate date approaches, specifics regarding the venue, guidelines and moderators will be decided.
How to watch the debate
The debate will take place in the evening on primetime television, hosted by ABC. It is anticipated it will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on the ABC app, the ABC website, and the 24/7 network ABC News Live.It will also be accessible on Hulu and Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV on linked devices.
When was the last US presidential debate?
The last US presidential debate took place between Trump and Biden in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020.
2020 had the fewest debates since 1996 as the second debate that year was later cancelled due to Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis and refusal to appear remotely rather than in person.
