Will Harris and Trump debate?

Vice President Kamala Harris walks to board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., July 30, 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris walks to board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., July 30, 2024.

The Kamala Harris campaign and its surrogates have drawn media attention in recent days by calling Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running-mate JD Vanceweird.” They’ve now begun to call Trump a chicken.

Weeks ago, Trump and President Joe Biden agreed to two debates, one hosted by CNN on June 27 and a second, hosted by ABC News, on Sept. 10. Now that Biden has withdrawn from the race, Harris, aware that Trump remains a slight favorite in November, wants that second debate.

On July 23, Trump said he would “absolutely” debate Harris, but a few days later, a Trump campaign spokesman said Trump wouldn’t agree to debate Harris “until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.” The Harris campaign countered that Trump agreed to debate Biden before his nomination became official.

On Monday, Trump told a reporter he would “probably end up debating Harris,” but that he had good reason not to agree. He pointed to his still-strong poll numbers and his opinion that ABC News was biased against him.

The Harris campaign quickly responded that Kamala Harris will be there on Sept. 10 whether Trump shows up or stays away. “We’ll see if Trump shows,” read a campaign statement.

Harris has promised to announce her VP pick on Monday, and sometime over the next week, delegates will formally nominate her as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. And then the Harris-Trump game of chicken over debates will only become more intense.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

The world is quietly being reshaped by a demographic time bomb: Birthrates are plummeting, and the global population is rapidly aging. By 2050, one in six people will be over 65. While the overall population is still increasing—driven by growth in developing countries like Nigeria and Pakistan—experts predict it will peak in about 60 years. The shift to depopulation will have huge implications for the future of work, healthcare, and retirement. So what can we do about it? On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down the different strategies governments are using to try to get people to have more kids, particularly in East Asia, where the population crisis is severe.

The Puerto Princesa Forest Restoration Initiative is a project to plant more than 400,000 seedlings to restore Palawan forests destroyed by Super Typhoon Odette in the Philippines. It’s part of a larger global effort by the Priceless Planet Coalition, launched by Mastercard with Conservation International and the World Resources Institute, to fund the restoration of 100 million trees around the world. These projects extend beyond carbon sequestration — they’re aimed at creating economic opportunities for women in the region, enabling them to better provide for their families. Read more about how many local women and community members are leading the charge on nursery construction, maintenance, and seedling production.

- YouTube

Listen: The world is on the brink of one of the most fundamental demographic shifts in modern human history: populations are getting older, and birth rates are plummeting. By 2050, one in six people on Earth will be over 65, which will have a huge impact on the future of work, healthcare, and social security. On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Jennifer Sciubba, President & CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, to discuss declining fertility, the aging crisis, and why government efforts all over the world to get people to have more babies don’t seem to be working.

Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz speaks at a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Henderson, Nevada U.S. October 31, 2024.
REUTERS/Mike Blake

President-elect Donald Trump’s unconventional picks for a number of important Cabinet positions in his second administration have set him on a collision course with the GOP-led Senate.

Accompanied by tugs, the LNG tanker "Hellas Diana" transports a cargo of LNG to the "Deutsche Ostsee" energy terminal.
Stefan Sauer/Reuters

While other countries in Europe still import small amounts of Russian LNG under long-term contracts, the EU broadly is looking to import more of the stuff from the growing American market.

Luisa Vieira

Cabinet-building has long been crucial for both the success of a presidency and the direction of the United States. From the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln to Donald Trump, the team often tells the tale of power. Publisher Evan Solomon looks at what Trump’s Cabinet picks are telling us all.