Kamala Harris and Donald Trump agree on one thing – they want to debate each other. What they cannot agree on is a time, a place, or a host.
Prior to the suspension of President Biden’s 2024 campaign, a second debate between himself and Trump had been scheduled for September 10th on ABC News.
Harris’ campaign intends to honor the original date with her in place of Biden. Trump indicated that the agreement was for a debate with Biden and that no arrangement had been made with anyone other than him.
Trump wants to debate on Fox News on September 4th and NBC News on September 25th.
After a series of back-and-forths by both presidential candidates, Kamala Harris appears to have made her final statement on the matter, drawing a line in the sand for the September 10 ABC debate that’s already on the calendar.
“Assuming Donald Trump actually shows up on September 10 to debate Vice President Harris, then Governor Walz will see JD Vance on October 1 and the American people will have another opportunity to see the vice president and Donald Trump on the debate stage in October…”
Michael Tyler – Harris Campaign Communications Director
Trump has already seen the impact a poor debate performance can have on a campaign. Political sportsbooks began to favor Trump by a much larger margin following Biden’s challenges on stage in June.
Those prospects changed once Harris got the nod, but Trump didn’t fall behind immediately. The vice president is now leading in the current election futures, with slim margins ranging from 5 to 40 points.
ABC Debate Sept 10th Debate Winner Odds
- Kamala Harris -250
- Donald Trump +185
- at Bovada Sportsbook
Should the September 10th presidential debate happen, gambling sites are paying out on the results of a poll that ABC will conduct after the event. Harris is projected to win bigly, but when Trump is involved, anything can happen.
Trump’s pending debate response is tempered by yesterday’s news conference, where he expressed anger toward Harris. Advisors reportedly suggested that Trump focus on the economy, but he quickly shifted to personal attacks, which is a play he’s run often in the past.
“I think I’m entitled to personal attacks. I don’t have a lot of respect for [Kamala Harris]. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president.”
Expert From An August 15th Trump Press Conference
While this tactic may be confusing, he’s succeeded with it before. However, without a confirmed debate on the horizon, Trump’s opportunities to gain in the polls and the odds are dwindling.