Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced late Friday that he has agreed to debate his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on Fox News on September 4.
“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
It was not immediately clear if Harris had agreed to the debate.
Trump’s announcement came just hours after Harris secured the Democratic Party’s nomination as the standard bearer for the November presidential election.
Trump’s campaign faced a significant shift last month when President Joe Biden, 81, decided not to seek re-election due to growing concerns about his age and declining poll numbers, endorsing Harris instead. This decision followed a poor debate performance against Trump in June on CNN.
A second Trump-Biden debate was initially scheduled for September 10 on ABC, but Harris is now expected to replace Biden. However, a Trump spokesperson recently indicated it would be “inappropriate” to schedule a debate before Harris was formally the Democratic nominee.
Previously, Trump, 78, had expressed reluctance to debate Harris, nearly two decades his junior, deviating from political norms. Last month, Harris, a former prosecutor and ex-California attorney general, challenged Trump to a face-to-face debate.
“Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider meeting me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,” Harris stated at a campaign rally in Atlanta.
Trump announced that the debate will be held in Pennsylvania and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum in front of a full audience. Fox News confirmed that the debate would include spectators and follow similar rules to the June 27 CNN debate between Trump and Biden.
“I look forward to meeting and debating Kamala Harris on September 4th,” Trump said, noting the date was “convenient and appropriate” as it precedes the September 6 start of early voting for the presidential election.
