CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) 鈥� says he is pulling out of a scheduled September debate with Vice President on ABC and wants them to face off on Fox News, making it increasingly unlikely that the candidates will confront each other on stage before the November election.
In a series of Truth Social posts late Friday, the Republican nominee and former president said his agreement to a Sept. 10 debate on ABC 鈥渉as been terminated" because he will no longer face Democratic President , who ended his campaign last month after a disastrous performance in their first debate.
Trump now says he will appear on Fox News on Sept. 4 in Pennsylvania with rules that he called 鈥渟imilar鈥� to his debate with Biden, but with a full audience instead of a mostly empty studio. Trump said that if Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, does not agree to the new network and date, he will do a 鈥渕ajor Town Hall鈥� with Fox News.
Michael Tyler, a Harris spokesperson, said Trump 鈥渋s running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out.鈥�
It was not immediately clear whether ABC would turn its Sept. 10 event into a Harris town hall in Trump's absence. Tyler said Harris is committed to the time slot and would appear 鈥渙ne way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime time national audience.鈥�
In a subsequent Truth Social post on Saturday afternoon, Trump said of Harris, 鈥淚鈥檒l see her on September 4th or, I won鈥檛 see her at all.鈥�
Trump has gone back and forth on debating with Harris since she entered the presidential race. He had told reporters he felt an obligation to debate but also said in a recent Fox News interview that he thought Americans 鈥渁lready know everything鈥� about both candidates Harris has pressed Trump to keep the commitment he made when Biden was in the race. Noting Trump's criticisms of her, Harris to 鈥渟ay it to my face.鈥�
In his Truth Social posts, Trump also cited his litigation against ABC News as 鈥渁 conflict of interest鈥� in his participation in the network鈥檚 debate. Trump sued the network in March following an assertion by anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump had been found 鈥渓iable for rape." A found Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll but rejected her claim that she was raped.
But Trump , two months after filing his lawsuit, to the Sept. 10 debate on ABC, as well as the June 27 debate on CNN that helped knock Biden out of the race. David Muir and Linsey Davis, not Stephanopoulos, are set to be ABC's debate moderators.
Trump has skipped debates before, including
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Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.
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Kinnard can be reached at .
Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
