In a striking political development, Republican nominee Donald Trump has agreed to a debate with Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. This announcement came late Friday via a post on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform. Moreover, the timing of this acceptance is crucial as it comes on the heels of Harris’s Democratic nomination.
The debate, scheduled for September 4, 2024, will be hosted by Fox News. “Rules will be similar to the rules of my debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his party, but with a full arena audience,” Donald Trump stated. This statement refers to President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the U.S. election bid in July.
Furthermore, Trump removed the initial post briefly before being reposted. The only change being the deletion of his proposal for a major town hall event on the same date. Trump proposed such an event in case Harris declined the debate offer if she is “unwilling or unable”to make it.
The decision follows the Democratic nomination of Kamala Harris after President Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed her. Harris responded positively to the debate proposal from Fox News last month. At the time, she said was “ready” to participate.
Biden’s withdrawal and subsequent endorsement of Harris shifted the dynamics within the Democratic Party. Initially, Trump dismissed the idea of debating Harris, citing her lack of official candidacy and pointing out that former President Barack Obama had not endorsed her at the time. However, Obama endorsed Harris shortly after, and she secured the necessary delegate votes on Friday.
Moreover, betting markets have also seen a shift. According to Polymarket, Donald Trump’s election win odds have slumped to 53% from a record high of 71% last month. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’ win odds have leaped to 44%, much higher than Biden’s 15% at the time of election dropout.
Also Read: Bitcoin & Crypto Cheques To Clear $35T US Debt, Donald Trump Says
Earlier on Friday, Donald Trump dismissed the idea of debating Vice President Kamala Harris, despite growing public interest in such an event. The former president cited recent poll results as a reason for his reluctance to participate in a debate.
In a recent interview with Fox Business Network, Trump expressed a willingness to debate. He said, “Well, I want to.” However, he quickly followed up by questioning the need for it: “Right now I say, ‘Why should I do a debate?'”
Trump pointed out his lead in the polls, emphasizing that the public is already familiar with both him and Harris. His comments suggest that a debate between the two presidential candidates is unlikely to happen at this time. Currently, Trump holds a 1.1% lead over Harris according to data from 97 polls. His recent supportive comments on the cryptocurrency space have also boosted his popularity across the country.
Also Read: Donald Trump Turns Down Debate With Kamala Harris, Here’s Why
XRP ETF issuers have filed amendments for their respective registration statements, providing optimism even as…
Today's crypto market crash triggered major congestion at some of the top centralized exchanges like…
The crypto market has witnessed the biggest single-day crash in history, with more than $19…
The crypto market is facing further declines following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 100%…
Following complaints of consistency issues with the ASTER token airdrop, Aster DEX has announced a…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has rescheduled the release of the September Consumer Price…