Trump backs out of ABC debate, says he will only debate Harris on Fox

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Trump backs out of ABC debate, says he will only debate Harris on Fox

“I’ll see her September 4th, or I won’t see her at all,” Trump posted on his social network.

By Isaac Arnsdorf, Michael Scherer and Abbie Cheeseman
Updated August 3, 2024 at 3:02 p.m. EDT | Published August 3, 2024 at 11:29 a.m. EDT

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Saturday that he will no longer appear at a previously scheduled debate on Sept. 10 and will only debate Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, if she agrees to his terms: a debate on Sept. 4, hosted by Fox News, with a “full arena audience.”

Trump had agreed to a presidential debate on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC News before President Biden dropped out of the race last month, and Harris said Saturday that she would show up for the previously negotiated date regardless of whether Trump attends.
But Trump said Saturday that if Harris does not agree to the new format on Fox News, he would refuse to debate altogether.

{snip}

Trump falsely claimed late Friday that Harris had agreed to the debate on Fox. There’s no evidence that such a deal ever existed. The Harris campaign said Saturday that she never agreed to a new debate deal. A person familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning, said the campaign held no negotiations with Trump or Fox about a new debate. Fox representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

{snip}

In Friday’s post, Trump also raised objections to ABC serving as moderator, even though he previously accepted the network’s role. Trump referenced a lawsuit against ABC accusing host George Stephanopoulos of defaming him by misstating a jury verdict in a New York trial that found the former president liable for sexual abuse. A federal judge in Florida said in July that the case could proceed. … Trump agreed to the ABC debate in May two months after filing his lawsuit against the network. The moderators will be David Muir and Linsey Davis, not Stephanopoulos. … Trump spokesmen did not immediately respond to requests to clarify his post on Saturday.

{snip}

By Isaac Arnsdorf
Isaac Arnsdorf is a national political reporter for The Washington Post who covers former president Donald Trump, the “Make America Great Again” political movement and the Republican Party. Twitter https://x.com/iarnsdorf

By Michael Scherer
Michael Scherer is a national political reporter at The Washington Post. He was previously the Washington bureau chief for Time magazine, where he also served as the White House correspondent. Before joining Time, he was the Washington correspondent for Salon.com. Twitter https://x.com/michaelscherer

By Abbie Cheeseman
Abbie Cheeseman is the Washington Post's 2024 Stern-Bryan fellow. Before joining the Post she spent five years reporting across the Middle East as a freelance correspondent. Prior to that she was an investigative reporter and researcher in London focusing on national security issues. Twitter https://x.com/cheesemanab

[madaboutharry]

1. Just in case any one forget for a moment

that he’s an asshole.

[calguy]

2. Harris already golf him to pound sand

She's having none of his distraction. She'll make a fool of him if he doesn't show for the ABC debate, and she'll make a fool of him if he dares step onto the stage with her.

He's screwed, and he knows it.

[Ocelot II]

3. Well, she's says she's going to be at ABC for the previously agreed-to debate on 9/10,

whether or not he shows up. If he doesn't she gets all that free air time without having to share it with his nonsense. If she does that, will he come blasting in at the last minute because he can't stand to let her have that stage to herself?

[brewens]

4. Harris is Vice President of the United States Skippy! You aren't in position to demand a goddamned thing! That would be

how I would write up the response, so maybe I shouldn't be in charge of that.

[Think. Again.]

5. He knows he screwed up by chickening out of the ALREADY AGREED UPON debate...

...and he knows he gave Harris an advantage by turning over the entire debate airtime to her, so he just set up his own televised rally on fox.

[SWBTATTReg]

6. He's a coward and a chickenshit. No other way to describe the worthless POS. And he showing his true

colors too, by showing all what a coward he is.