Former President Trump on Monday said he would “probably” end up debating Vice President Harris ahead of November’s election, but he left the door open to backing out.
“The answer is yes, I’ll probably end up debating,” Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham, arguing any debate should be held before early voting starts.
Still, Trump listed off reasons for him not to participate even as Ingraham warned it would allow his critics to say he’s scared. Trump pointed to his lead in national and battleground state polls, though those surveys show a close race. He also argued the public knows where both candidates stand on the issues.
“The answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it,” Trump added. “Also, I don’t like rewarding fake news … They’re going to make tens of millions of dollars with this debate. I don’t like ABC.”
Trump and President Biden agreed to two debates, one on June 27 and the other on Sept. 10, hosted by ABC News. Biden’s disastrous performance in the June debate sparked calls from Democrats for him to step aside as the nominee, which he did earlier this month in the face of mounting pressure.
Harris has secured the support of enough delegates to be the likely nominee for Democrats. The Democratic convention will take place Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Harris has said she is ready to debate Trump, and she and her campaign have accused Trump of backpedaling to try to get out of a one-on-one showdown.
Trump told reporters last Tuesday he would “absolutely” debate Harris at least once before Election Day.
His campaign later said it would not agree to a general election debate with Harris “until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”