Former President Donald Trump is moving his sights to Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, saying that he will “probably” end up debating her before November.
The remarks about a potential debate came while Trump was speaking with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday, saying that a debate should be held before early voting starts.
“The answer is yes, I’ll probably end up debating,” Trump said.
However, the Republican nominee didn’t seem entirely convinced that he would face off against Harris, giving several reasons he wouldn’t participate in a debate.
Trump said that his lead in national and battleground state polls and the public’s knowledge of both candidate’s stances on issues would dissuade him from facing off against Harris, despite Ingraham suggesting it might allow his critics to say he’s scared.
“The answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it,” Trump said. “Also, I don’t like rewarding fake news … They’re going to make tens of millions of dollars with this debate. I don’t like ABC.”
Trump had previously agreed to debate President Biden on Sept. 10, hosted by ABC News. But now that Biden has dropped out of the race, it is unclear if Harris will fill in for him or if it will be rescheduled altogether.
Harris has yet to receive the Democratic nominee, as that will be solidified at the Democratic convention on Aug. 19-22, though she is the presumed favorite.
The vice president says that she is ready to debate Trump but that he is backpedaling, looking for a way to get out of a potential faceoff.
Trump’s campaign has said that it will not agree to a general election debate with Harris “until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”