Written by Kevin Liptak and Jeff Zeleny, CNN
(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to debate Donald Trump's future running mate, a Biden campaign official told CNN on Thursday.
The Biden campaign told CBS News it has accepted the network's invitation to participate in the vice presidential debate in studio on one of two dates proposed by the network: July 23 or August 13.
“We are hopeful that the Trump campaign will accept one of these dates and be able to set up the campaign's full debate calendar,” the official added.
The proposed July 23 date comes less than a week after the end of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, leaving President Trump's running mate limited to preparing for the debate with Harris. Time will be given.
CNN asked the Trump campaign if it would agree to have its running mate participate.
President Joe Biden and President Trump on Wednesday accepted an invitation from CNN for a June 27 debate, a historically early showdown that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign. They also agreed to hold a debate on ABC News on September 10th.
Informal conversations between the Biden and Trump campaigns over the debate have taken place in recent weeks, mostly focusing on mutual disdain for the Commission on Presidential Debates and potential scenarios for circumventing the commission. three sources familiar with the discussions earlier told CNN.
For millions of Americans, this debate will be the most extensive scrutiny of candidates and their running mates since the debates leading up to the 2020 election.
Harris has become a key figure in the Biden administration and campaign this year, traveling the country to make points that the president, an older white man, might find difficult to make himself.
Her efforts include serving as the government's representative on abortion rights, becoming the first sitting president or vice president to visit an abortion provider, and ensuring that new court decisions and legislation put the future of abortion in doubt. That includes visiting states like Florida and Arizona, which have been proposed. There is access to abortion.
CNN's Betsy Klein, michael williams and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
CNN Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
