Kamala Harris has accused Donald Trump of “backing out” of a previously agreed September presidential debate, as the Trump campaign said it would not agree to finalize plans until Harris formally becomes the Democratic nominee.
Harris told reporters Thursday that she was “ready to debate Donald Trump.” A debate, hosted by ABC News, had been scheduled for Sept. 10.
Related: Survey shows the vast majority of black voters trust Harris and distrust Trump
“I think voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.
The September debate was one of two in which Joe Biden and Trump agreed. The first, hosted by CNN on June 27, saw Biden deliver a disastrous performance that revived concerns that he was too old for a second term and ultimately accelerated his decision to step down as the Democratic nominee.
Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his successor, and Democrats have since rallied around her. This week, the vice president won enough delegate support to make her the nominee, but she won’t formally accept the nomination until the Democratic national convention in mid-August.
“The details of the general election debate cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director, said in a statement Thursday night.
“It would not be appropriate to plan anything with Harris, because the Democrats could still change their minds.”
Trump has said he would prefer to move the debate to Fox News, but he is willing to take on Harris more than once.
Alex Conant, a Republican consultant, said the debate could be “decisive.” “It’s the one time voters really tune in,” he said.
This year’s campaign has already shown the power of debate. Biden’s performance faltered and his support within the Democratic Party eroded, ending his reelection bid on Sunday.
