Several questions arose surrounding the second presidential debate, including who will host it, when it will be and whether it will happen.

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Ray Bogan Political Correspondent

Candidates, networks debate over future of second presidential debate

Aug 5

Ray Bogan Political Correspondent

By Ray Bogan (Political Correspondent), Brock Koller (Senior Producer), Zachary Hill (Video Editor), Ally Heath (Digital Producer)

In the weeks after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek a second term in the Oval Office, many questions came up about who would replace him on the ticket and how the rest of the race would play out. Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, more questions arose surrounding the second presidential debate.

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Many questions remain unanswered, including who will host the debate, when it will be and whether it will actually happen. All of those remain unclear.

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Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed to debate on ABC News on Sept. 10. Harris agreed to debate on the same stage when she took over as presumptive Democratic nominee.

However, on Friday, Aug. 2, Trump said he would not be there. In a series of posts on Truth Social, the former president said since Biden is no longer a candidate, the debate is “terminated.”

Trump also said ongoing defamation lawsuit against ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos created a conflict of interest with the network.

Stephanopoulos was not scheduled to moderate.

Instead, Trump suggested a debate on Sept. 4, hosted by Fox News in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state. Trump said if Harris does not accept, he would hold a town hall during that time slot instead.

A Harris campaign spokesperson said Trump is “running scared” and that he was “trying to back out of a debate he already agreed to.”

Harris said if Trump did not appear at the Sept. 10 debate, she would also hold a town hall during the slot.

Fox and ABC News are not the only two candidates to host the second debate. Other networks like NewsNation, which hosted a GOP debate in 2023, sent letters to both candidates’ campaigns on Sunday. The letter proposed a debate in a battleground state, but said the network was flexible on the date and time.

The Washington Post reported that CBS News offered to host the debate on Sept. 4, one day after it hosts the vice presidential debate.

The Commission on Presidential Debates also said that it is ready to carry out its originally scheduled debate plans if Trump and Harris agree to them. Trump and Biden had previously chose to participate in independent debates, like the one CNN hosted on June 27. Biden’s performance during that debate ultimately led him to drop out of the race.

Tags: 2024 Elections, ABC, CBS News, CNN, debate, Fox, Fox News, NewsNation

[JOE BIDEN]

“The only person on this stage that is a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now.”

[DONALD TRUMP]

“We’re trying to justify his presidency. Without question, the worst presidency in the history of our country.”

[RAY BOGAN]

THOSE WERE SCENES FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE HELD IN JUNE.

NOW ATTENTION TURNS TO THE SECOND DEBATE.

WHEN IT WILL BE? WHO WILL HOST?

AND THE BIGGEST QUESTION OF ALL: WILL IT HAPPEN? THAT’S UP FOR DEBATE.

ABC NEWS WAS SCHEDULED TO HOST THE SECOND DEBATE BETWEEN TRUMP AND PRESIDENT BIDEN ON SEPTEMBER 10TH. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AGREED TO PARTICIPATE AFTER SHE BECAME THE PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE.

BUT NOW TRUMP IS SAYING NOT SO FAST. IN A SERIES OF POSTS TO HIS TRUTH SOCIAL ACCOUNT ON FRIDAY – THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAID SINCE BIDEN IS NO LONGER A CANDIDATE – THE ABC DEBATE IS QUOTE “TERMINATED.” HE ALSO MENTIONED HIS DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST ABC NEWS’ GEORGE STEPHENOLOPOUS – SAYING IT CREATES A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

TRUMP INSTEAD PROPOSED A SEPTEMBER 4TH DEBATE HOSTED BY FOX NEWS IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA AND SAID IF THE VICE PRESIDENT DOESN’T ACCEPT – HE’LL INSTEAD HOLD A TOWN HALL ON FOX NEWS AS HE HAS DONE IN THE PAST.

A HARRIS CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON SAID TRUMP IS “RUNNING SCARED” – “TRYING TO BACK OUT OF A DEBATE HE ALREADY AGREED TO” AND THE VICE PRESIDENT IS COMMITTED TO THE SEPTEMBER 10TH DATE.

BUT IT’S NOT JUST FOX NEWS AND ABC NEWS IN THE MIX – OTHER NETWORKS ARE PUTTING THEIR NAMES IN THE HAT TO HOST THIS SECOND DEBATE.

ACCORDING TO VARIETY – NEWSNATION – WHICH HOSTED A GOP PRIMARY DEBATE LAST YEAR — HAS SENT A LETTER TO EACH CANDIDATE’S CAMPAIGN STAFF ON SUNDAY – PROPOSING A PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE OF THEIR OWN – SAYING THEY ARE FLEXIBLE ON TIMING BUT WOULD ALSO CHOOSE A BATTLEGROUND STATE SETTING.

THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTS CBS NEWS – WHICH ALREADY OFFERED TO HOST A VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON SEPTEMBER 3RD – HAS SUGGESTED HOSTING A PRESIDENTIAL ONE THE DAY AFTER.

AND THERE’S THE COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES – WHICH SAID IT IS SET TO CARRY ON WITH ITS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED DEBATE PLANS – SHOULD TRUMP AND HARRIS AGREE TO THEM.

SO WHILE THE DEBATE ITSELF REMAINS IN QUESTION – THE DEBATE ABOUT THE DEBATE CONTINUES.

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