Former President Donald Trump has expressed uncertainty about debating Vice President Kamala Harris, retreating from his earlier commitment. In an interview with Fox News Channel on Monday night, Trump stated he “probably” will debate Harris but also noted he “can make a case for not doing it.”
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During the interview, host Laura Ingraham pressed Trump multiple times on whether he would commit to debating Harris. While he eventually indicated he would likely participate, his response was notably less definitive than his previous statements.
Initially, Trump had been enthusiastic about debating President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee at the time, after months of questioning Biden’s mental fitness for the presidency. However, with Biden dropping out of the race and Harris stepping in as the Democratic candidate, Trump has begun to question the terms of the original debate agreement. He suggested moving the September 10 debate from ABC News, labeling the network as “fake news.”
Last week, when asked by reporters if he would commit to debating Harris, Trump responded affirmatively, stating, “Oh yes, absolutely. I’d want to,” and emphasized the obligation to debate. However, his stance appeared to soften in the recent interview.
“I want to do a debate. But I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is,” Trump remarked. He eventually conceded, “The answer is yes, I’ll probably end up debating,” but also added that debates should occur before early voting begins in states.
Trump has a history of skipping debates, notably abstaining from all 2024 Republican presidential primary debates. He initially cited early timing and venue concerns before ultimately deciding not to participate in any of those debates.
During the same interview, Trump sought to clarify comments made last week at a conservative event where he told an audience of Christians they “won’t have to vote anymore” after he’s elected. He urged Christians, whom he claims have low voting rates, to vote “just this time,” assuring them they wouldn’t need to in the future.
“In four years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians,” Trump said, later adding, “In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”
These comments alarmed Democrats and others who noted Trump’s previous use of authoritarian language and his actions following the 2020 presidential election, where he refused to accept the results and attempted to overturn them.
Trump’s campaign and supporters provided various explanations for his remarks, and Ingraham pushed him to clarify. “They don’t vote and I’m explaining that to ’em. ‘You never vote.’ This time, vote. I’ll straighten out the country. You won’t have to vote anymore. I won’t need your vote,” Trump explained.
Ingraham questioned if Trump meant Christians wouldn’t need to vote for him because he would only have four years in office. Trump spoke about the voting rates of Christians and gun owners, and Ingraham interrupted to press him further.
“Don’t worry about the future. Vote, on, you have to vote on November 5th. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore. I don’t care because we’re going to fix up, the country will be fixed and we won’t even need your vote anymore because frankly, we will have such love. If you don’t want to vote anymore, that’s okay,” Trump stated.
Trump made similar remarks at another Christian-focused event last month, urging Christians to participate in the upcoming election. “In four years, you don’t have to vote, OK? In four years, don’t vote. I don’t care,” he said.