The Harris campaign announced on Thursday that it will participate in three debates during this election season: two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. This statement aimed to put an end to the Trump campaign’s push for additional debates before Election Day, asserting that the “debate about debates is over.”
Campaign communications director Michael Tyler stated, “Assuming Donald Trump actually shows up on September 10 to debate Vice President Harris, then Governor Walz will face JD Vance on October 1, and the American people will have another opportunity to see Vice President Harris and Donald Trump on the debate stage in October.”
Tyler emphasized that voters deserve to see the candidates for the highest office share their visions for the future, adding, “The more they play games, the more insecure and unserious Trump and Vance reveal themselves to be to the American people. Those games end now.”
Vice President Harris has agreed to debate former President Trump on September 10 on ABC News. Although Trump accepted two other proposed debates, one on September 4 on Fox News and another on September 25 on NBC News, the Harris campaign’s statement clarified that she will not participate in the Fox or NBC events. Instead, she will engage in an October debate with Trump, provided he attends the September 10 debate.
On the vice-presidential front, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) and Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio) have agreed to an October 1 debate hosted by CBS News. Vance had proposed a second debate on September 18, hosted by CNN, but the Harris campaign indicated there would only be one vice presidential debate, consistent with historical norms.
Previously, Trump had agreed to two debates with President Biden: one on June 27 and another on September 10. However, after Biden’s poor performance in the June debate, calls for him to step aside as the Democratic nominee grew, leading to his withdrawal in late July. Democrats quickly rallied behind Harris as the nominee, and she has since surged in the polls, closing the gap with Trump.
