Republican candidate Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to debate his likely Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. However, he suggested preferring a different network than ABC News to host the event.
“I would like to do it. I think it’s important,” Trump stated during a call with reporters on Tuesday. He added that he would be open to participating in more than one debate.
Trump had originally planned to debate President Joe Biden before Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris. This debate was set to take place in September and was organized by ABC News.
A representative for Harris’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Trump mentioned that he is “not enthusiastic” about ABC hosting the debate, referring to the network as “fake news.” However, he didn’t outright refuse to participate and has previously expressed a preference for the conservative network Fox News to take the lead on the event.
The upcoming debate between Biden, who is 81, and Trump, who is 78, is seen as a crucial moment in the 2024 presidential campaign. Concerns about Biden’s age and mental sharpness were heightened following his shaky performance, which led to a push for him to withdraw as the Democratic candidate. Ultimately, Biden exited the race on Sunday.
Rules governing the debate in June were also a point of contention. Biden’s campaign laid out strict terms for answering questions, including firm time limits and the use of microphones that would turn off once a candidate’s speaking time was up, to prevent interruptions.
For decades, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has overseen these affairs. Both campaigns opposed the initial scheduling, which had arranged the debates much closer to the November 5 election date. Instead, the candidates agreed to participate in organized debates without an audience, hosted by various networks.
Source: https://www.perfil.com/noticias/bloomberg/bc-trump-dice-que-esta-dispuesto-a-realizar-un-debate-con-kamala-harris.phtml
