Trump said on Thursday he is proposing three presidential debates with three television networks. (Photo: Reuters)
Donald Trump said on Thursday he is proposing three presidential debates with three television networks, saying he agreed on certain dates in September while acknowledging that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign had not yet accepted those terms.
The former president suggested there were agreements with Fox News, ABC News and NBC News as he held a news conference at his Florida beachside compound. It was his first public appearance since Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee and selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. I think it’s very important to have debates, Trump said. I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight.
The Harris campaign had no immediate comment.
Trump had teased an announcement about the presidential debate earlier this week after pulling out of an ABC News debate scheduled for September 10 after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign. Trump had said he would prefer that Fox News sponsor the debate, but on Wednesday was showing willingness to reconsider ABC.
Trump also echoed criticism from his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, that Harris has not held a news conference or sat down for interviews since Biden’s withdrawal last month and she entered the race.
Harris has a travelling press pool with her on Air Force Two for all trips. Trump does not have a set travelling press pool that regularly accompanies him on his plane when he goes out to campaign.
Vance has journalists flying with him, and he campaigned this week in states where Harris and Walz had their own events scheduled. That included on Wednesday, when Vance’s plane and Air Force Two ended up on the same tarmac in Wisconsin. Vance started walking toward the Democrats’ plane but did not reach it before a motorcade carrying Harris, Walz and the travelling press pulled away.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Aug 09 2024 | 6:49 AM IST