Trump Hints at Skipping ABC Debate with Harris
On Sunday, former President Trump hinted that he might not participate in next month's debate with Vice President Harris, which is set to be hosted by ABC News.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the network's panel and criticized an interview conducted by Jonathan Karl with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on the show "This Week." Trump questioned why he should agree to a debate hosted by ABC.
"I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Karl’s (K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?" Trump wrote.
Trump referenced past actions by “This Week” panelist Donna Brazile, who provided the Clinton campaign with advance notice of town hall questions during the 2016 primary, suggesting that something similar could happen with Harris. He also raised concerns about ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, with whom he has ongoing litigation, potentially being involved in the debate, although there has been no indication that he would be.
“They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!!” Trump added. “Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!”
Trump had previously agreed to a debate with President Biden on September 10, to be hosted by ABC News. After Harris replaced Biden as the top candidate on the Democratic ticket, Trump expressed uncertainty about his participation.
Despite his reservations, both parties eventually agreed to proceed with the ABC News-hosted debate on September 10. While Trump had advocated for additional debates on Fox News and NBC News in September, the Harris campaign maintained that it would only agree to the ABC News event before considering a second debate.
The September 10 debate is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia and will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, according to ABC News.
