ABC News says plans for its September debate continue despite former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump putting a temporary pause on participating.
The Trump campaign released a statement last week that said: “General election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” Trump, said on a press call last week. “But I want to debate with (Vice President Kamala Harris), and she’ll be no different because they have the same policies. I think debating is important for a presidential race, I really do. You sort of have an obligation to debate.”
Trump had previously agreed to debate President Biden on Tuesday, September 10th on ABC News with David Muir and Linsey Davis set to moderate.
In the wake of the Trump statement, many questioned whether or not that previously scheduled debate would still take place. When asked where the network stood, a source told CNN preparations are “full steam ahead” despite the volatility surrounding the event.
On Truth Social, Donald Trump stated that Fox News should host the next debate. Subsequently, the network sent letters to both the Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns proposing a Tuesday, September 17th debate moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. That proposal came before the Trump campaign decided to pause participating in debates, however.
Trump has aired his displeasure with ABC News in recent weeks. He currently is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the organization and anchor George Stephanopoulos after the longtime newsman said the former President was guilty of rape during a March interview of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) after a jury ruled he had sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s. Trump claims the decree from the judge in the case explicitly states he was not found to have committed rape.
