Donald Trump says he is willing to debate Kamala Harris 

WASHINGTON - US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he is willing to debate his likely Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, but suggested he wanted a network other than ABC News to host the forum.

“I’d want to. I think it’s important,” Trump said on July 23, on a call with reporters. “I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually.”

The former president was scheduled to debate President Joe Biden – before he dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Ms Harris – in a September event hosted by ABC News. 

A representative for Ms Harris’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Trump said he is “not thrilled” about ABC hosting the event, calling the outlet “fake news” but stopped short of saying he would not participate.

Trump has previously said he would prefer the conservative TV network Fox News to host instead. 

The June 27 debate between Mr Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, was one of the most pivotal events of the 2024 presidential campaign.

Mr Biden’s stumbling performance fuelled party-wide concern about his age and mental acuity, which led to a weeks-long pressure campaign to get him to step down as the Democratic nominee. Mr Biden bowed out of the race on July 21. 

The rules for the June debate were also a source of tension.

Mr Biden’s campaign outlined strict terms for answering questions, including firm time limits and microphones that shut off after a candidate’s speaking period has elapsed to prevent interruptions.

For decades, the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates controlled the affairs. But both campaigns baulked at its schedule, which had slated the events much closer to the Nov 5 election. Instead, the candidates agreed to participate in network-hosted debates without an audience. BLOOMBERG