Will Donald Trump debate Kamala Harris? Requirements for second presidential debate announced

WASHINGTON, DC: The upcoming debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is surrounded by uncertainty, despite organizers moving forward with the event scheduled for September 10.

ABC News, the debate host, has outlined the criteria candidates must meet to participate, but it remains unclear if Trump will agree to the debate.

ABC News announced the requirements for candidates to join the debate on Friday, July 26. To qualify, Trump, Harris, and any third-party candidates, such as Robert F Kennedy Jr, must achieve at least 15% support in four national polls of registered or likely voters.

Despite Kennedy's approval ratings being significantly lower, these conditions apply uniformly to all participants. Additionally, candidates must meet the Constitutional requirements for serving as president, have filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, and appear on enough state ballots to potentially win a majority of electoral votes.

Apart from these criteria, candidates must accept the debate rules set by ABC News, which have not been publicly disclosed. ABC News will confirm if candidates have met the terms shortly after September 3.

Uncertainty around Donald Trump's participation

The Trump campaign has not confirmed the former president's attendance at the debate. Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director, highlighted the ongoing political instability within the Democratic Party, suggesting that final debate details could not be settled until the Democrats officially nominate Harris.

Cheung stated, “Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”

Harris, on the other hand, expressed her readiness to debate Trump. She stressed the importance of the scheduled September 10 debate, noting that Trump had previously agreed to it.

After landing at Joint Base Andrews, she stated, “I have agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10th debate, he agreed to that previously. Now it appears he’s backpedaling. But I’m ready. And I think that the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage and so, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Trump remains non-committal about debating Harris, reiterating his previous agreement to debate President Joe Biden before his withdrawal from the race.

Trump told reporters, “I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden. But I want to debate with her, and she’ll be no different because they have the same policies. I think debating is important for a presidential race, I really do. You sort of have an obligation to debate.”

Kamala Harris' readiness to debate

In response to Trump's hesitation, Harris took to social media, questioning his commitment to debating by posting, “What happened to ‘any time, any place’?” on X.

The Democratic delegates are set to vote virtually to confirm Harris as the party’s nominee by August 7. Trump secured the Republican nomination at the Republican National Convention last week.

Harris did not comment on the possibility of another debate hosted by Fox News. Previously, she had prepared to debate Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. CNN previously reported that both candidates expressed eagerness to debate each other in a recent call but did not discuss specifics.

Vance humorously remarked at a campaign stop, “I was told I was going to get to debate Kamala Harris, and now President Trump’s going to get to debate her? I’m kind of pissed off about that if I’m being honest with you.”

ABC News will utilize four polls conducted and released between August 1 and September 3, 2024, by reputable news organizations and research centers, including CNN, The New York Times/Siena College, Quinnipiac University, and The Wall Street Journal. Only publicly released polls will be considered for determining candidate eligibility, USA Today reported.