Kamala Harris rejects Fox News debate, makes rest contingent on Trump showing up for ABC debate

Kamala Harris rejected the debate proposed by Donald Trump for September 4. It was to be hosted by Fox News with a live audience. The Democratic candidate confirmed her presence for September 10 in the studios of ABC News and made future debates dependent on the presence of the Republican in this first meeting.

After 19 days without speaking to the press, the vice-president broke her silence on the afternoon of Thursday, August 8. In dialogue with journalists who accompanied her during her campaign event in Michigan, she advanced that she will do interviews at the end of the month and expressed herself about the debates with Trump. 

"I'm glad Donald Trump has finally agreed to debate. I look forward to it. I hope he shows up," she expressed. 

Just hours later, ABC reporter, Selina Wang confirmed that Harris had turned down the debate hosted by Fox News. 

"Harris will not agree to the September 4th Fox debate, campaign official tells me. Says future debates are contingent on Trump showing up to ABC debate on Sept 10th. Willing to have convos before Sept 10 about debates after that date. So ABC will have 1st Harris/Trump debate," he reported on his X.  account;

The Republican previously spoke to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, from where he proposed three debates with his Democratic opponent. "I look forward to the debates, because I think we have to set the record straight. I think it's very important that we have them. I hope she agrees to them… I think they'll be very revealing," he said, also calling Harris "bad" at debating. 

In 2016, Trump held three debates with Hillary Clinton, while only two in the 2020 presidential that pitted him against Joe Biden, due to the fact that the former president contracted Coronavirus a few days before the event. 

For his part, Harris debated Mike Pence in 2020, as part of the historic single debate between the running mates. However, the  most remembered of that night had nothing to do with the content, but with a fly that stood on the Republican's hair, a moment that did not take long to go viral on social networks. 

In the absence of official confirmation, Trump and Harris will have their first confrontation on September 10 in the ABC studios.