![Kamala Harris and J.D. Vance](https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kamala-Harris-and-J.D.-Vance.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1)
UPDATED, 11:45 AM: The Trump campaign has not agreed to a date for a vice presidential debate, even though the Biden campaign has said that Kamala Harris has agreed to three different times.
Brian Hughes, Trump campaign senior adviser, said in a statement, “We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention. To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate.”
That, of course, is a rather cheeky reference to what is going on on the Democratic side, as a chorus of lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to step aside. The latest is Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who today said that it was time for Biden to “pass the torch” to a new generation.
Harris has agreed to a CBS News hosted debate on July 23 or August 12 or 13. The Democratic National Convention is Aug. 19-22, but plans are in the works for a virtual roll call some time after Aug. 1.
Brian Fallon, communications director for the Biden-Harris campaign, said in a statement, “Donald Trump is the one whose campaign said he would debate ‘anytime, anyplace’ and who picked JD Vance specifically for his debating skills.
“Now suddenly right after a damning new leak showing his support for a nationwide abortion ban, Vance is backing off a debate against Vice President Harris, who has spent the last two years prosecuting the case on behalf of reproductive freedom.
“This debate has been discussed for two months now. If JD Vance is unwilling to defend the Trump-Vance record on the debate stage, he should just say so.”
PREVIOUSLY: Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to three different dates for a vice presidential debate against Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Donald Trump’s running mate.
CBS News would host the debate.
In a statement Wednesday, a Biden campaign official said, “On May 16, Vice President Harris accepted the very first invitation we received from a television network to host a Vice Presidential Debate. She agreed at that time to participate in a CBS-hosted debate on either Tuesday, July 23 or Tuesday, August 13.
“Since then, CBS has offered — and the VP has accepted — another potential date for this debate: Monday, August 12.
“Now that the Trump campaign has selected a running mate, we encourage them to agree to a debate between Vice President Harris and Senator Vance.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
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Harris and Vance spoke on Tuesday, including in general about debating, according to the Associated Press. In May, before he selected his running mate, Trump said his campaign had accepted a vice presidential debate, but it would be one hosted by Fox News. The Biden campaign had spelled out the criteria it would accept for debates this cycle, and both Fox News and MSNBC would be excluded.
ABC News plans to host the next presidential debate September 10.