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 Thursday.
The Biden campaign informed CBS News it had accepted the network’s invitation to participate in a vice presidential debate in studio on either of the two dates the outlet proposed, July 23 or August 13, the campaign official said.
“We look forward to the Trump campaign accepting one of these dates so that the full debate calendar for this campaign can be set,” the official added.
The proposed date of July 23 would come less than a week after the conclusion of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, giving Trump’s running mate limited time to prepare for a debate with Harris.
CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign about whether it would agree for his running mate to participate.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Trump accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, a historically early showdown that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign. They have also agreed to a debate on ABC News on September 10.
Informal conversations between the Biden and Trump campaigns about debates had taken place in recent weeks and were largely focused on a mutual disdain for the Commission on Presidential Debates and potential scenarios to work around the commission, three sources familiar with the discussions previously told CNN.
For millions of Americans, the debates will represent the most extensive scrutiny they’ll be able to give the candidates and their running mates since the debates leading up to the 2020 election.
Harris this year has become a key figure for the Biden administration and campaign, criss-crossing the country to make points that might be more difficult for the president – an older White man – to make himself.
Her efforts have included serving as the administration’s point person on abortion rights, becoming the first sitting president or vice president to visit an abortion provider and traveling to states such as Florida and Arizona, where new court rulings and laws have thrown into doubt the future of abortion access there.
CNN’s Betsy Klein, Michael Williams and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
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