Kamala Harris, who ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden withdrew his bid for a second term on Sunday, confirmed her commitment to the September 10 debate…reports Asian Lite News
Vice President Kamala Harris stated on Thursday that she is prepared to debate former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Harris, who ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden withdrew his bid for a second term on Sunday, confirmed her commitment to the September 10 debate.
“I’m ready to debate Donald Trump,” Harris told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “I have agreed to the previously scheduled September 10 debate. He had agreed to that earlier, but now it seems he is reconsidering. However, I’m ready.”
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, initially expressed his desire to debate Harris, who is now the Democratic presidential nominee. Although Trump had agreed to an ABC News debate with Biden on September 10, he has recently indicated a preference for Fox News to host the debate instead.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director, mentioned on Thursday that the debate details are still uncertain. “Due to the ongoing political turmoil surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, the finalization of general election debate details is pending the formal nomination decision by the Democrats,” Cheung said in a statement.
“Many within the Democrat Party view Kamala Harris as a Marxist fraud who cannot defeat President Trump, and they are hoping for a different candidate. Therefore, it would be premature to schedule debates with Harris as the nominee could still change.”
Biden decided to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race over the weekend and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee shortly thereafter. Harris quickly gained the support of Democratic leaders and raised a record $126 million since Biden’s announcement.
On Monday, Harris secured the required number of delegates to become the Democratic nominee, and she is expected to formally accept the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from August 19-22.
White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean Pierre emphasised that no one is more qualified to step in as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee than US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jean-Pierre noted that Kamala Harris has been vice president for more than four years now.
“The vice president (Kamala Harris) has been vice president for more than four years. I do not see anyone more qualified to step in at this moment. She was a senator. She was an attorney general…,” she said while addressing the White House briefing.
Jean-Pierre noted that Kamala Harris was a partner in that to the president, adding that President Joe Biden is proud to make this decision.
“I’ve listed out what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last three and a half, almost four years, an unprecedented record. She was a partner in that with the president. This is a decision that this president made, and I think he (US President Joe Biden) is proud to have made that decision…,” she added.
Harris, over the past 3.5 years as vice president, has visited more than 19 countries and met with more than 150 foreign leaders, according to the White House website.
She has visited over 19 countries and met with more than 150 foreign leaders, according to information available on the White House website.
Democrats adopted the rules the party will use to choose their presidential nominee, with voting to officially nominate Harris likely to begin on August 1.
Harris will have to secure the support of the majority of delegates at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago in August.
Under the rules approved by the Democratic National Convention’s rules panel Wednesday, presidential hopefuls have until Saturday evening to formally declare their candidatures and until Tuesday, July 30, to submit signatures from at least 300 delegates, with not more than 50 from a single state counting towards the threshold, reported CNN.
Voting will be conducted by electronic ballots sent to convention delegates. If only one candidate meets the petition requirements, which is likely considering how quickly the party has coalesced around Harris, voting is expected to begin on August 1, although it will be up to party leaders to set the times for voting to begin and end.
If more than one candidate were to meet the requirements, party leaders can set a period of no more than five days for candidates to make their case to delegates, reported CNN.
The party has said its goal is to nominate its presidential and vice presidential candidates by August 7 to avoid the possibility of litigation over ballot access in Ohio.
While the state has pushed its deadline for political parties to submit their official nominees to September 1, the new law won’t take effect until the end of August.