Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, speaks during a debate on Oct. 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a debate on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta.
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ABC News reports that both Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris have agreed to meet for a debate on September 10.
The network’s announcement came Thursday shortly after Trump said at a news conference that he had agreed to hold three debates with Harris in September on separate channels.
Trump is rejoining the ABC debate days after tweeting that he would not appear on the network, citing a lawsuit he had filed. His decision sets up a highly anticipated moment in the election, where the first debate resulted in a major shift in the race — with Democratic President Joe Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Harris.
“I think it’s very important to have the debates,” Trump said Thursday. “I look forward to the debates because I think we have to get this thing out.”
On social media site X late Thursday, Harris wrote, “I hear Donald Trump has committed to debating me on September 10. I’m looking forward to it.”
At a private fundraiser in Paris on Thursday, Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, said he “can’t wait” to see his wife debate Trump. He was in Paris as head of the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
Fox News has also suggested a debate between Harris and Trump will take place on September 4, and NBC News is aiming to air one on September 25. During an appearance in Michigan, Harris said she was “happy to have that conversation” about an additional debate.
Trump also said he wants his vice presidential nominee, JD Vance, to debate Harris’s pick for vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on CBS. The network is discussing possible dates for that meeting.
ABC said David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the contest on September 10. That’s also the date Trump and Biden agreed to have their second and final debate, before Biden’s decision threw that event into doubt.
Any debate promises to be all the more important as polls show a tight race between the former president and the current vice president. While Harris has created waves of excitement among Democrats since inheriting the mantle from Biden, she has yet to appear at a press conference or give an interview to a reporter.
Republicans have made it an issue. Vance, in a post on X during Trump’s press conference on Thursday, said Harris had been hiding behind a teleprompter. “It’s been 18 days since she’s answered real questions from the media,” he wrote.
