Senator JD Vance, former president donald trumpTrump’s running mate will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris before the Democratic National Convention next month, the Trump campaign said Wednesday, citing uncertainty over who the Democratic nominee will be.
Although Trump officially announced Vance as his vice presidential pick earlier this week, calling him the “best suited” person for the job, growing pressure on President Joe Biden resigning from the race after his poor CNN debate performance in late June led to questions about whether Harris could replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Democrats will officially nominate their candidates by the end of the party convention, scheduled for August 19-22.
“We don’t know who the Democratic nominee for vice president will be, so we can’t set a date before the convention,” Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement on VP. debate.
“To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer or whoever Kamala Harris chooses as her running mate,” Hughes added, referring to popular Democratic governors who have been considered potential candidates on the party’s ticket should Biden drop out. outside.
In a call Tuesday after Vance’s nomination, Harris and the Ohio senator reportedly said they were eager to debate each other but did not elaborate.
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign on Wednesday said Harris has accepted dates presented by CBS News for a vice presidential debate, including the latest offer for Aug. 12. The Trump campaign has not officially agreed to participate in the CBS event.
Trump’s team committed to a Fox News vice presidential debate earlier this year, ahead of Vance’s pick, but no date has been set for that showdown.
Meanwhile, Vance is under scrutiny for his extreme positions, including his previous comments that he would “certainly” like “abortion to be illegal nationally” in a 2022 episode of the “Very Fine People” podcast, which was resurfaced by CNN.
The Biden campaign suggested the revelations are responsible for Vance not committing to debate Harris.
“Now, suddenly, on the heels of a new leak showing his support for a national abortion ban, Vance is backpedaling in the debate against Vice President Harris, who has spent the last two years prosecuting the case in the name of reproductive freedom,” said the campaign.
“This debate has been discussed for two months. If JD Vance is not willing to defend the Trump-Vance record on the debate stage, he should just say so,” he continued.
Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, is becoming more receptive to the idea of dropping out, a senior Democratic adviser said. told CNN, despite his public statements that he is not considering the possibility, while senior members of his party are calling on him publicly and privately to reconsider his decision to run for re-election. This comes at a time when major donors to Biden’s campaign are reportedly starting to rethink their support.
In an interview with BET’s Ed Gordon, Biden said he would consider dropping out of the presidential race if a health issue arose.
