Posted in: ABC, Fox, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: ABC, donald trump, fox, kamala harris, opinion

FOX News Open to Harris/Trump Debate Deal; How About Fact-Checking?

FOX "News" is apparently open to muting mics to get a debate between VP Kamala Harris and Trump - but how about some real-time fact-checking?

Even though GOP POTUS nominee and convicted felon Donald Trump still appears to be wavering in terms of committing to ABC's September debate against presumed Democratic nominee Vice-President Kamala Harris, FOX "News" is reportedly looking to get its slice of the debate ratings pie. If that means having to mute Trump – it looks like it's open to it. Much like CNN's June debate,  the reported news network is willing to institute muting mics for Trump and VP Harris when they're not responding directly to a question. Eyeing September 17th for its debate, Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media, sent a letter to both camps, noting that the "news" network was "open to discussion on the exact date, format, and location — with or without an audience." One thing is clear – a debate on FOX "News" wouldn't be lacking in viewers, based on the viewing numbers for the reported news network. "If we can get these guys to the table, both sides are going to want different things in negotiations," Wallace added, noting that FOX "News" would also need to consider "what is the right thing for the audience" in addition to what works "for the candidates." As we saw with CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, having mics muted is important – but not nearly as important as having real-time fact-checking.

VP Kamala Harris Calls Out Trump Over ABC Debate: "Say It to My Face"

"He won't debate, but he and his running mate sure seem to have a lot to say about me. Well, Donald, I do hope you'll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage because, as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face." And with that, VP Harris made it clear to her supporters earlier this week at the Georgia State Convocation Center and to the millions following the event on social media. She's not afraid to take the stage against Trump – prosecutor versus convicted felon – and she plans on being in front of ABC's cameras in September for the next scheduled debate. But how did we get the the point where Trump – the dude who was willing to debate anytime, anywhere – is now looking for loopholes?

Trump and President Joseph Biden agreed to a debate on September 10th hosted by ABC – just to be clear, the two agreed when both were the presumed nominees for their respective parties. Since that time, President Biden made the decision to step down, with VP Harris officially entering the race to be the Democrats' nominee – with more than enough verbally pledged delegates in place to secure the nomination. Something else that happened was that VP Harris started killing it in the polls, donations, and event turnout since the move. Meanwhile, Trump's vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, is having to defend himself from past comments that insulted women, people who don't have kids, cat owners, and a whole number of other groups.

So it's no surprise that Trump's folks would start moving the goalposts, arguing that the Democrats needed to formalize their nominee before Trump would debate – again, a requirement that wasn't in play for President Biden when the debate was first agreed to. Trump himself has wavered about the prospect of debating VP Harris, resulting in the presumptive Democratic nominee to step up calling out Trump for trying to dodge, stating that he was "sacred" to debate.

"As Vice President Harris said last week, the American people deserve to hear from the two candidates running for the highest office in the land, and she will do that at September's ABC debate. If Donald Trump and his team are saying anything other than 'we'll see you there,' — and it appears that they are — it's a convenient but expected backtrack from Team Trump. Vice President Harris will be there on September 10th — we'll see if Trump shows," shared VP Harris' Campaign Communications Director, Michael Tyler, on Monday, ahead of Tuesday night's campaign rally in Georgia.

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