Harris says she’s ready to debate Trump and accuses him of ‘backpedaling’ from Sept. 10 faceoff

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Thursday that she is “ready to debate Donald Trump.”

She accused him of violating a previous agreement during a debate hosted by ABC News on September 10.

“I think voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.

The Sept. 10 debate was one of two that President Joe Biden and Trump agreed on. The first was hosted by CNN on June 27, but Biden has since withdrawn from the race and endorsed Harris as his successor.

Trump has said he would prefer to move the debate to Fox News, but he is willing to take on Harris more than once.

Harris did not respond to a question about Fox News hosting a debate.

Alex Conant, a Republican consultant, said the debate could be “decisive.” “It’s the one time voters really tune in,” he said.

This year’s campaign has already shown how powerful a debate can be. Biden’s disastrous performance on June 27 revived concerns that he was too old for a second term. His support within the Democratic Party eroded, and he ended his reelection bid on Sunday.