Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he would be open to debating Vice President Kamala Harris three times next month.
Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said that “I think it’s very important to have debates” and that he had accepted invitations from NBC News, Fox News and ABC News.
During his announcement, Trump seemingly got some of the dates incorrect. Both ABC News and the Trump campaign later clarified that the ABC News debate would take place on Sept. 10. The Fox News debate was previously proposed for Sept. 4.
A source familiar with the plans said the NBC News one was set for Sept. 25, which was one of the options the network gave the campaigns as a date.
When President Joe Biden was still running, his campaign and Trump’s agreed to two debates: one on CNN on June 27 and a second on ABC News on Sept. 10. But after Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris, Trump began to waver on his commitment to participating. Last week, he said he would skip the ABC News debate because it had “been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant.”
After Trump pulled out, Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement, “The Vice President will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime time national audience. … We’re happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to.”
Harris confirmed later Thursday that she would attend the ABC News debate, saying: “I am looking forward to debating Donald Trump, and we have a date of Sept. 10. I hear he’s finally committed to it, and I’m looking forward to it.” She did not respond to a question about other potential dates.
Trump also said Thursday that the campaign has agreed to a vice presidential debate on CBS News, adding that his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, “has really stepped up. He’s doing a fantastic job.”
On Tuesday, at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s first rally since he was named Harris’ running mate, he said of Vance, “I can’t wait to debate the guy.”
At a campaign event Wednesday in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Vance wouldn’t commit to debating Walz, baselessly suggesting that there was still a chance that he wouldn’t be the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
“We don’t know who the vice presidential nominee is going to be, either,” Vance told reporters, adding that Democrats could “pull a bait and switch” and take him off the ticket.
Harris and Walz were formally certified as the Democratic nominees for president and vice president this week.