Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set to debate on the US ABC network on September 10 after the former president said he had agreed to the face-off, along with two others next month.
It comes as former Trump ally Anthony Scaramucci declared his one-time boss was “frightened” of taking on a newly energised Democratic Party.
Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said that he was “looking forward” to debating the vice president and that he had agreed to upcoming dates with Fox News, ABC and NBC.
“I think it’s very important to have debates, and we’ve agreed with Fox on a date of September 4. We’ve agreed with NBC. Fairly full agreement subject to them on September 10. And we’ve agreed with ABC on September 25,” the former president said.
A senior Trump advisor and an ABC source familiar with the matter both said that the correct dates Trump had agreed to with networks were: September 4 with Fox News, September 10 with ABC and September 25 with NBC.
Trump said “minor details” were still being worked out, including audience and locations.
“The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don’t know if they’re going to agree. (Harris) hasn’t done an interview. She can’t do an interview. She’s barely competent, and she can’t do an interview, I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight,” he said.
CNN has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
An ABC source was confident that the network’s debate would be the first one between Trump and the vice president, as the Harris campaign has indicated she will not agree to the Fox News debate.
A source familiar with the NBC negotiations said September 25 was “one of the dates” given to the campaigns. While the network has been in discussions with both camps, the Harris campaign has not formally accepted.
Details on location, rules and moderators will be determined closer to the debate date.
After Trump’s press conference, Scaramucci offered an insight into what the former president was thinking after an hour-long attack on Harris.
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“He spent the whole time talking about fear mongering. Fear on the border, he’s talking about fear in the economy, he’s talking about fear of crime, and so it’s a very fear based approach,” Scaramucci told CNN.
“I dont think that any strategist working with him now agrees with what he’s doing”.
“They’re sitting there cringing. He’s saying, ‘We’re flailing, so I’m going to show you how it’s done, I’m going to go out and speak to the press unhinged for 40 minutes to an hour and I’m gonna set everybody straight on what we’re doing'”.
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