Washington, D.C. – Former President Donald Trump criticized ABC News and hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from an upcoming presidential debate hosted by the network. This debate, scheduled for September 10, is the only one that both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have agreed to participate in so far.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump condemned ABC News reporter Jonathan Carl’s interview of Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., labeling it as “ridiculous and biased.” He also referred to the network’s commentators as a “Panel of Trump Haters.” Trump questioned the idea of debating Harris on ABC News, suggesting that contributor Donna Brazile might provide questions to Harris, referencing a past controversy involving Brazile leaking a CNN town hall question to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Furthermore, Trump claimed that Harris has declined to debate him on other networks such as Fox, NBC, CBS, and CNN. While he did not confirm whether he would skip the ABC News debate, he mentioned that the network has many questions to answer and ended his post with “Stay tuned!”
Last week, Trump alleged that Harris had informed him she would not participate in a Fox News-hosted debate on September 4, despite there being no public agreement from her campaign. Harris’ campaign previously stated that they were willing to engage in two debates against Trump, with the second debate contingent on Trump attending the ABC News debate.
A major point of contention between the two campaigns has been the date and venue of the first debate. Trump has pushed for the first debate to be held on Fox News, a network that he perceives as more favorable, while the Harris campaign prefers the ABC News debate on September 10. Harris and her team have mocked Trump for his reluctance to attend the ABC News debate, despite his earlier agreement.
In addition, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Trump’s VP pick, Senator JD Vance, have agreed to a single debate on October 1 hosted by CBS News. Vance offered to participate in another debate on CNN on September 18, although it appears that the Harris campaign has declined the offer.
The ongoing debate negotiations reflect the broader tensions between the Trump and Harris campaigns as they navigate the upcoming election season.