Fox News anchor Bret Baier has pointed the finger at former President Donald Trump, not Vice President Kamala Harris, for the delay in organizing a second debate between the two candidates before Election Day.
What Happened: Baier expressed his belief on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt's program that the Harris campaign would agree to a Fox debate, if Trump hadn’t decided against another debate. Baier, despite being in regular contact with both campaigns, stated, "The holdup is not the Harris campaign and Fox. It is the former president," reported The Hill on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Trump and Harris had a debate hosted by ABC News, where Harris was perceived by voters as the winner. Over the weekend, Harris accepted an invitation from CNN for a second debate next month, an offer that Trump has declined, citing early voting already underway in some states.
Trump had previously advocated for a debate on Fox, a channel that features hosts who are supportive of the Republican nominee. However, he indicated a preference for one of the channel's prime-time opinion hosts to moderate a debate instead of Baier or Martha MacCallum, another leading news anchor on the network.
Why It Matters: This development comes after Trump’s public criticism of Baier and Fox News ahead of a GOP primary debate. Trump had expressed his dissatisfaction with Baier and Fox News’ coverage of GOP primary polls on the Truth Social platform.
In July, Fox News proposed another 2024 Presidential debate after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. This would have allowed voters to view two presidential debates between Trump and Harris.
Despite Harris accepting an invitation for a CNN debate scheduled for October, Trump declined the offer citing the start of early voting in several states and questioning CNN's impartiality as a debate moderator.
The first debate between Trump and Harris was watched by 67.1 million people, topping the 51.3 million total from the June debate between Trump and Biden.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal
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