'Wait till ...': Will Donald Trump debate Kamala Harris?

Former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has announced that he will not engage in a debate with his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, until the Democrats formally confirm their nominee. Trump’s decision comes despite Harris’s readiness to participate in a debate.
“I have agreed to the previously agreed-upon September 10 debate,” Harris said at Joint Base Andrews upon her return from Houston.“He (Trump) agreed to that previously. Now here he is backpedaling, and I’m ready. The voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage.”
Debate schedule and nominee status
Trump, who was officially declared the Republican nominee at the party’s convention in Milwaukee earlier this month, is awaiting the Democrats' formal decision on their nominee. Harris is expected to be declared the Democratic nominee at the party’s convention in Chicago in August.
“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,” said Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung in a late-night statement.
Cheung further criticized Harris, suggesting that some in the Democratic Party, including former President Barack Obama, doubt her viability as a candidate. “There is a strong sense that Kamala Harris is a Marxist fraud who cannot beat President Trump,” Cheung said.
Previous debate agreements
Trump and President Joe Biden had previously agreed to two debates: one on June 27 and another on September 10. However, Biden’s poor performance in the June 27 debate, hosted by CNN, led him to withdraw from the race three weeks later. The September 10 debate was slated to be hosted by ABC News.
Trump has expressed willingness to debate Harris, noting that he is not thrilled with ABC. “I want to debate her, and she’ll be no different because they have the same policies,” Trump said earlier this week. He also indicated a willingness to participate in more than one debate.
In light of the recent changes, Fox News Media has proposed hosting a debate between Trump and Harris on September 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,” the network stated in letters sent to both campaigns.
The proposal suggests holding the debate in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, just as early voting begins. Fox News Media is open to discussing the exact date, format, and location of the debate, with or without an audience.