“Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to,” said the Democrat’s campaign.

Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider meeting me on the debate stage.

Because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face. pic.twitter.com/fkL9ZYOY3X

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 30, 2024

After nearly two weeks of refusing to commit to debating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC, former Republican President Donald Trump said late Friday that he wouldn’t join the September 10 face-off and had agreed to a Fox News-hosted event instead.

Trump had agreed to appear on ABC when President Joe Biden was seeking reelection, but since a disastrous debate performance on CNN in June led the 81-year-old Democrat to pass the torch to Harris—who on Friday secured enough delegates for the Democratic nomination—the 78-year-old Republican nominee has been noncommittal.

“I have agreed with Fox News to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “The debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest.”

Trump is suing ABC and George Stephanopoulos for defamation over the anchor’s characterization of a civil jury last year finding the ex-president civilly liable for sexually abusing journalist E. Jean Carroll at a Manhattan department store in 1996.

The Fox event, which Harris has not yet agreed to, will be held in the swing state of Pennsylvania and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, according to Trump’s late-night post. He said that “the 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!”

Since embracing Biden’s endorsement last month, Harris has taken aim at Trump for suggesting he would back out of the ABC debate. During a Tuesday campaign rally in Georgia, said: “Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage. Because as the saying goes, ‘If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.'”

After the Republican’s Friday post, Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement that “Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out.”

“He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on September 10,” Tyler continued. “The vice president will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime-time national audience.”

“We’re happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to,” he added. “Mr. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace should have no problem with that unless he’s too scared to show up on the 10th.”

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