Fox News Offers To Host Trump-Harris Debate

 Fox News offered to host a presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Harris for president.

In a letter on Tuesday from Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace and Fox News Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker — to both the Trump and Harris campaigns — the network proposed a debate in Pennsylvania in September before early voters go to the polls in the 2024 election.

“Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee, FOX News Media is amending our proposal for a debate this cycle,” the letter from Fox News read. “Given the race has changed, we’d like to request the opportunity to host a Presidential Debate between VP Harris and former President Trump.”

“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,” the letter added. “We are open to discussion on the exact date, format and location – with or without an audience. Again, we believe Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the faces of our political coverage, are the best choices to moderate.” 

“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,” the proposal continued, noting some viewership stats and Fox News’ “strength with key demographics such as independent voters in swing states.”

There is no word yet on if either campaign will take Fox News up on the offer. However, on Tuesday, Trump told Fox News that he would “absolutely” be open to debating Harris, calling it “important,” the outlet noted.

 

“I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually,” Trump said.

“I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” he added, moments later.

In June, CNN hosted the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, and the president’s disastrous performance at the debate started the onslaught of calls by Hollywood and Democrats for him to drop out of the race.

When Biden was the Democratic presidential nominee, the Trump campaign had agreed to have ABC host a debate in September and a Fox News presidential debate on October 2, the outlet noted.