Trump's Answer: 'Why Should I Do a Debate?'

With Democrats calling out Donald Trump over his apparent lack of enthusiasm for debating Vice President Kamala Harris, the Republican nominee expressed a willingness before backing off it. "Well, I want to," Trump said in an interview with Maria Bartiromo that was conducted Thursday and aired Friday on Fox Business. "I mean right now I say, why should I do a debate?" he said. "I'm leading in the polls. And, everybody knows her, everybody knows me." Trump has waffled on the issue lately, saying last week he'd "absolutely" debate Harris, then saying he "probably" would. His campaign has declined to commit to the event, the Hill reports.

Harris brought up the issue at a rally in Georgia this week. "Well, Donald, I do hope you'll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage," she told the crowd, "because as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face." The Democratic National Committee is trying to say the same thing to Trump's face by placing print and online ads in newspapers in cities ahead of the Republican nominee's appearances there. The DNC has different versions of the ads, per ABC News, but they include wording about Trump being "afraid to debate." The first ad was bought for Friday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday, the day before Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, plan an event in the city.

The campaigns of Trump and President Biden had agreed to a debate on Sept. 10, but the GOP nominee has suggested Biden's withdrawal from the race means there's no such commitment anymore. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Axios there will be a debate, though not necessarily on that date. A Harris campaign spokesperson said this week that it's up to Trump. "Vice President Harris will be on the debate stage September 10th," Ammar Moussa said. "Donald Trump can show up, or not." (More Donald Trump 2024 stories.)