Fox News invites Harris, Trump to September presidential debate in Pennsylvania

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In invitations to the campaign managers for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Fox News has proposed that it host a presidential debate on Sept. 17 in Pennsylvania.

The news was first reported by Politico. The Capital-Star obtained copies of the invitations from Fox News Media President Jay Wallace and its vice president of politics Jessica Loker, sent to Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, and to Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump senior campaign advisers.

The invitations propose Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as moderators, but do not offer details on where in Pennsylvania the debate might take place. 

Harris won pledges from enough Democratic delegates by late Monday night to gain the Democratic nomination. President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Harris. Trump officially became the GOP’s nominee during the Republican National Convention last week.

The Trump and Harris campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. 

During a Tuesday call with reporters, Trump committed to a debate with Harris, adding he would be “willing to do more than one.”

Biden’s withdrawal came after  weeks of pressure from within the Democratic Party following a poor June 27 debate performance against Trump.

The Democratic National Convention is less than a month away, and the choice of Harris’ running mate has dominated news coverage, with national press following Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to events around the state this week. Shapiro is one of the people speculated to be on Harris’ short list, but said Tuesday during an event in Shippensburg that he had not been asked for and had not submitted vetting paperwork for consideration as vice president. 

At an event in Pittsburgh on Monday, Shapiro said Harris was making a “deeply personal decision … that should be made really free from any political pressure.”