Joe McConnell
ABC News said it will host the first debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on September 10.
The network confirmed the clash in a post on X, after Trump said in a press conference on Thursday that he would be open to debating with Harris multiple times before the November election.
“We think we should have three debates,” Trump said, suggesting two more debates, which he said would be hosted by Fox News and NBC.
Ms Harris confirmed she will participate in the ABC debate at an event in Michigan on Thursday, but has not yet commented on any other possible clashes.
“I look forward to having a debate with Donald Trump and we have a date of September 10th. I hear he’s finally committed and I look forward to that,” Ms. Harris said at the Detroit event.
Trump debated President Joe Biden once in June. The two were scheduled to do so again on Sept. 10, but Mr. Biden dropped out of the race after a poor showing against Mr. Trump in their first televised showdown.
Last week, Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris appeared to disagree over where and when their first direct debate would be held.
Trump had previously said he wanted the debate to be hosted by the conservative network Fox News, saying it would take place in Pennsylvania, “at a location in a district to be determined.”
“The debate moderators will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum,” he said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social last week, adding that the rules will be similar to those of the debate he had with Biden, but with a “full audience.”
The first debate, hosted by CNN, did not include an audience.
Ms Harris’s campaign had previously said she would still like to debate Mr Trump on September 10, when the second debate with Mr Biden, hosted by ABC News, was due to take place.
At Thursday’s press conference, Mr. Trump said he would like to debate Ms. Harris two more times: on Sept. 4 in a debate hosted by Fox News and on Sept. 25 in a debate on NBC.
Trump also said that CBS will host a debate between the two vice presidential candidates, Republican J.D. Vance and Democratic candidate Tim Walz.
NBC News is reportedly in talks with both campaigns about a possible debate this fall, but Harris’s campaign has not agreed to a debate on Fox News, The New York Times reported.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Trump called Ms. Harris “barely competent,” adding that she “is not fit to give an interview.”
He also criticized her for not holding a press conference with reporters after announcing her campaign.
“She’s not smart enough to be holding a press conference,” he said of Ms. Harris.
“But I look forward to the debates,” Trump said.
Thursday’s press conference is his first in several months, as his campaign has previously focused on holding rallies across the country.
Mr Trump also praised his running mate, Mr Vance, who recently faced criticism for comments he made in 2021, when he said that people without children should not lead the country and that women who do not have children are “miserable” and “childless.”
“I have to tell you that J.D. Vance has really stepped up,” Trump said Thursday. “He’s doing a fantastic job.”
He also criticized Ms Harris’s record on immigration and the economy, reiterating his belief that US presidents should have a say in interest rates and monetary policy, departing from the long-standing practice of leaving oversight of these matters to the independent US Federal Reserve.
Trump told reporters that internal polls showed him leading in key swing states and outlined his priorities: reducing inflation, lowering crime rates and strengthening the U.S. military.
Meanwhile, Ms. Harris held a campaign event in Detroit, Mich., with Mr. Walz, where she stressed her support for unions and the middle class, as well as protecting Americans’ “freedoms.”
“We want to recognize the right of all citizens to liberty and freedom … and we don’t want the government telling them what to do,” Ms. Harris told supporters.
National polls and polls in key states suggest she has gained some ground on Trump since the start of her campaign, but the race remains tight.
