By Marlyn Montilla
03 Aug 2024, 11:41 AM EDT
Former President Donald Trump is being mocked after announcing that he agreed to a Fox News debate with current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some critics of the Republican have accused him of being “terrified” of debating the former California prosecutor in a neutral setting, and he will only face the Democratic candidate according to the rules determined by Fox News and in front of a crowd of his supporters.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had agreed to participate in the Sept. 4 debate moderated by Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, which will take place in the key state of Pennsylvania.
The New York tycoon said the rules for the September 4 debate will be similar to those of the CNN debate on June 27 between him and Joe Biden, which featured muted microphones, but this time there will be an “audience in the entire arena.”
It is not yet known whether Harris agreed to the terms of the Fox News debate. Although the vice president was already prepared to face Trump in the ABC News debate, which was scheduled for the next one on September 10, before Biden gave up his re-election bid, Newsweek reported.
In response to the Republican’s announcement, the X account of the liberal outlet Meidas Touch posted the following: “Donald Trump has again said that he will WITHDRAW from the scheduled ABC debate.”
Donald Trump is blaming his lawsuit against ABC for backing out of the debate. But Trump filed his frivolous lawsuit in March and agreed to the debate in May. The math ain’t mathin’. But he is clearly terrified. pic.twitter.com/PaK7LJUXPB
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) August 3, 2024
“He says he will only debate in his safe space on Fox News, with a packed house and moderators of his choosing. He is absolutely terrified of Kamala Harris.”
Columnist Laura Bassett, meanwhile, said the vice president is still going to “show up at the ABC debate he’s backing out of and get the photo op with the empty podium. He’s an idiot.”
“To say he has enough confidence to debate Biden on ABC, but only to debate Kamala on Fox, in a big MAGA stadium full of people, set up to be as close to one of his own rallies as possible, is humiliating and should be treated as such.”
Matt McDermott, a Democratic pollster and strategist, added: “Let’s be clear: the ABC News debate is not ‘over.’ It is scheduled and both candidates have already agreed to participate. Donald Trump is backing out because he is afraid to debate Kamala Harris.”
“It’s not even worth responding to the ridiculously absurd suggestion that Fox, a propaganda arm of the Republican Party that is actively working to elect Donald Trump, host a presidential debate.”
Keep reading:
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- Harris launches immigration offensive, compares her record to Trump’s