Trump agrees to Sept. 10 debate with Harris on ABC and proposes two more

(TND) — Former President Donald Trump said he agreed to three separate debates on different networks against Vice President Kamala Harris next month after going back and forth over whether he would appear on stage against her.

During a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said his campaign had agreed to debates on Fox News on Sept. 4, ABC on Sept. 10 and NBC on Sept. 25. He had previously agreed to the ABC debate when President Joe Biden was still the nominee but had later declared it“terminated” and challenged Harris to appear for a debate on Fox News.

Harris' campaign had only agreed to the Sept. 10 debate prior to Trump's press conference. ABC said both campaigns had confirmed that date.

“I think it's very important to have debates,” Trump said. “I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight.”

Trump also said his campaign wanted to hold a vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz on CBS.

It was Trump’s first public appearance since Harris officially became the Democratic presidential nominee and chose Walz as her VP pick.

Trump himself has not held any public campaign events this week but has sat for an interview with video game streamer Adin Ross and other lower-profile interviews. His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has held multiple public events each day, several of which lined up with Harris-Walz events in swing states.

Vance and Harris nearly ran into each other on the tarmac of an airport in Wisconsin earlier this week, when he walked over to the press following the vice president on her swing state tour as Air Force Two landed.

“I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president and ask her why she refuses to answer questions from the media,” Vance said. “I at least have enough respect for you all and for the American people to come and talk to you and answer questions.”

Harris has not sat down with an interview with a journalist or held a press conference since launching her presidential campaign, though she has occasionally answered shouted questions from reporters traveling with her.

Trump’s press conference also comes as questions about whether he will debate Harris as the two campaigns continue to dare each other to appear on different networks. Harris has accused Trump of backpedaling after he has repeatedly suggested he could pull out of a debate on Sept. 10 on ABC that he agreed to when President Joe Biden was still the nominee, which the vice president has vowed to show up to regardless of whether Trump is there.

Trump later declared the ABC debate “terminated” and challenged Harris to appear for a debate on Fox News, which she has not accepted. Over the last couple days, Trump has shifted his position again, saying that he wants to debate Harris.

“The most important thing is we get (to) debate,” Trump said on “Fox and Friends,” adding that Harris “wants to say I don’t want to debate, but I do want to debate.” He said on Truth Social Thursday morning that he wants to “expose” her during a debate.