In a recent series of Truth Social posts, former President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from a scheduled September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC. Trump expressed his desire for the debate to take place on Fox News instead, citing the termination of his agreement with ABC due to the absence of Democratic President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race after a poor performance in the first debate.
Harris's spokesperson, Michael Tyler, accused Trump of running scared and attempting to back out of the debate. Trump countered by stating that he will appear on Fox News on September 4 with rules similar to his debate with Biden and a full audience. If Harris does not agree to the new network and date, Trump threatened to do a major Town Hall with Fox News instead.
It remains uncertain whether ABC will proceed with a Harris town hall on September 10 in Trump's absence. Harris has affirmed her commitment to the time slot and expressed her determination to address a prime time national audience.
Trump's decision to withdraw from the ABC debate and opt for Fox News was accompanied by claims of a conflict of interest due to his ongoing litigation against ABC News. Trump filed a lawsuit against the network in March following allegations made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. Despite his legal actions against ABC, Trump had previously agreed to participate in the September 10 debate, as well as a June 27 debate on CNN.
Overall, Trump's decision to pull out of the ABC debate and his preference for Fox News have added another layer of complexity to the upcoming presidential election, as the possibility of a face-to-face confrontation between the candidates dwindles.