Trump ‘absolutely’ willing to debate Kamala Harris: 'It's important'
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin has more on the emerging Trump campaign strategy for Kamala Harris as the former president looks to debate her on 'Special Report.'
FOX News Media sent formal letters to the Trump and Harris campaigns on Wednesday proposing a debate to take place on Sept. 17 in Pennsylvania.
"Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee, FOX News Media is amending our proposal for a debate this cycle. Given the race has changed, we’d like to request the opportunity to host a Presidential Debate between VP Harris and former President Trump," the letters sent to each campaign, signed by FOX News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace and FOX News Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker, stated.
"We propose to host the debate in the state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 17, just as early voting is getting underway there and in other key battlegrounds. We are open to discussion on the exact date, format and location — with or without an audience," Wallace and Loker continued. "Again, we believe Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the faces of our political coverage, are the best choices to moderate."
TRUMP SAYS HE 'WOULD BE WILLING TO DO MORE THAN ONE DEBATE' WITH VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS
FOX News Media sent formal letters to the Trump and Harris campaigns on Wednesday proposing a debate to take place on Sept. 17 in Pennsylvania with Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier as moderators.
The proposal continued: "As you recall, despite not having a Democratic debate in 2016/2020, Fox News was able to secure town halls with Democratic candidates such as: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand."
Wallace and Loker then detailed some viewership statistics, including Fox News Channel’s "strength with key demographics such as independent voters in swing states."
"In recognition of FOX News Media’s capabilities and reputation, we cordially extend an invitation to all concerned parties to discuss our proposal. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the opportunity to foster informed political dialogue at this pivotal moment for our nation," Wallace and Loker wrote.
The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump debated President Biden last month on CNN, promoting calls for Biden to step aside after his frail, halting performance. After weeks of pressure from Democratic allies over concerns about his ability to beat Trump again, Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR HARRIS NOW THAT SHE'S SEEMINGLY LOCKED UP THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION?
Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
Biden endorsed Harris for president shortly following his announcement.
Trump has said he’s open to debating Harris more than once as the two face off in the 2024 presidential election.
"Absolutely. I'd want to. I think it's important," Trump said Tuesday when asked by Fox News' Bill Melugin if he would commit to debating Harris at least once.
"I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually," Trump said.
Minutes later, he noted, "I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden."
FOX NEWS CHANNEL CRUSHES CNN, MSNBC DURING HISTORIC NEWS WEEK TO FINISH NO. 1 IN ALL OF CABLE
President Biden and former President Trump debated in June. (Getty Images)
CNN moderated the first presidential debate in June, and ABC News was scheduled to host the next Biden-Trump showdown in September. Trump previously called for the next debate to be on Fox News Channel now that Harris is expected to be atop the Democratic ticket.
Harris on Monday night announced that she'd locked up the nomination by landing commitments from a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates to next month's Democratic National Convention, which kicks off Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Trump and his campaign previously accepted two Fox News debates this election cycle, including a presidential debate for Oct. 2, and a vice presidential debate for a date that had not yet been determined.
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Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton, Paul Steinhauser and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
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