Trump Campaign Won't Agree to Vice President Debate

Former President Donald Trump's campaign said it will not confirm a date for a vice presidential debate, citing its uncertainty surrounding the Democratic nominee for running mate.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for reelection alongside President Joe Biden, has accepted potential dates and times for a debate hosted by CBS News. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Harris spoke to Trump's vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance, on Tuesday, but that the two did not settle on terms for the event.

In a statement obtained by Newsweek on Wednesday, Brian Hughes, senior adviser for the Trump campaign, responded to questions on the debate plans, saying, "We don't know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can't lock in a date before the [Democratic National] Convention (DNC)."

Hughes continued by saying that reaching terms on a vice presidential debate at the moment would be "unfair" to "whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate." He specifically named California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Prtizker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as potential options.

Newsweek has reached out to Biden's campaign via email for comment on Wednesday.

The Context

More than 20 sitting Democrats have called for Biden to step aside as the party's nominee after the president's rocky first debate against Trump on June 27. Biden's campaign, however, has stood defiant, and Democrats still plan to hold a virtual roll call vote ahead of the DNC next month to formally nominate the president.

Harris has been touted as the favorite to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket should the president exit the race. A recent poll from YouGov also found that Harris is more popular among American voters than Vance, whom Trump announced as his vice presidential choice on Monday.

What We Know

Harris has agreed to participate in a debate hosted by CBS News on either July 23, August 12 or August 13. Trump, on the other hand, agreed on behalf of his running mate over two months ago that his campaign would participate in a vice presidential debate hosted by Fox News.

AP reported that Biden's campaign has indicated that it would reject Fox News' invitation to host. Sources familiar with the matter also told AP that both campaigns have yet to make progress on "bridging the disagreements" over which network should host the debate and how the event should be formatted.

Harris reportedly left Vance a voicemail on Monday, congratulating him on being selected as Trump's running mate and urged him to accept the CBS invitation, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke with AP. Vance returned Harris' call on Tuesday, and told Newsmax later that day that the vice president was "was very gracious, very cordial" during the call.

Views

Biden and Harris' team responded to Hughes' statement Wednesday night, accusing Vance of backing out of the debate because of his views on abortion.

"Donald Trump is the one whose campaign said he would debate 'anytime, anyplace' and who picked JD Vance specifically for his debating skills," read the statement, which was shared to the Biden-Harris HQ account on X, formerly Twitter.

"Now suddenly right after a damning new leak showing his support for a nationwide abortion ban, Vance is backing off a debate against Vice President Harris, who has spent the last two years prosecuting the case on behalf of reproductive freedom," the campaign continued. "This debate has been discussed for two months now. If JD Vance is unwilling to defend the Trump-Vance record on the debate stage, he should just say so."

Vance has previously said that he would support a national ban on abortion at the 15-week mark of pregnancy, a policy for which some conservatives have pushed following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Trump, however, has argued on the campaign trail that the issue of abortion should be left to voters to decide at the state level. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday, Vance said that he sees Trump's policy on the issue as "reasonable."

What's Next

While the vice presidential debate remains up in the air, Trump and Biden are scheduled to face off in a second presidential debate on September 10. ABC News anchors David Muir and Lindsey Davis will moderate. Details regarding the rules, venue and format have yet to be released.

Update 07/17/24, 7:45 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.