Trump and Harris agree to face off at debate, disagree on screen where she will be held

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed holding a debate with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on Sept. 4, while Harris' campaign responded that Trump is trying to avoid a debate scheduled for ABC.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social late Friday that the rules would be similar to those for the previously scheduled debate with Joe Biden before he withdrew from the Race for the November election.

But at his proposed debate an audience would be present in the hall and it would be held in Pennsylvania, one of the states expected to be determining the outcome of the election.

Former President Trump and Biden had agreed to a second debate on September 10 on ABC News.

Vice President Harris, who on Friday secured the necessary votes of her party's delegates to secure the nomination as a running-hander, said Saturday that she plans to participate in the debate scheduled in advance.

"I will be there on September 10th, just as (former President Trump) has agreed to. I hope to see him there," she said in a post on Platform X.

Harris' spokesman Michael Tyler said Trump makes the proposal because he is "scared" and that her campaign team is open to discussing further debates after the Sept. 10 debate, which "both campaigns have already agreed on."

Trump said on social media that the ABC debate was no longer "valid for [Biden]."

Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the comments from Harris' team.

Recent polls show a close race between Harris and Trump, who had gained a greater edge over Biden after the first debate.

Trump's nomination for the Fox News debate came shortly after the Democratic National Committee released a campaign ad Friday suggesting that the former president "is afraid to debate" and that his stance on abortion may be the reason.

David Plouffe, an adviser to former President Barack Obama who recently joined Harris' campaign team, said in X: "Right now, he seems to be comfortable just in a friendly environment, trying from his favorite fox spot to hold a rally of his own and call it the debate. Maybe he can only afford an argument with someone his age."

Trump is 78, and Ms Harris is 59. /America's 1