Fox News made a last-minute pitch Wednesday to both the Donald Trump and the Kamala Harris campaigns for one more presidential debate before next month’s election.
Fox reported that it sent a letter from the network’s executives proposing to host a debate in Pennsylvania either Oct. 24 or 27, with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as moderators.
“This would present an opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing arguments,” Fox News Media president and executive editor Jay Wallace and vice president of politics Jessica Loker wrote.
In their letter to the campaigns, the two referenced a recent column in The New York Times arguing Harris should appear on the conservative news outlet before the election.
“She hasn’t made her closing argument yet. And the best way for her to do that is in another debate. To persuade Donald Trump to join her, she should offer to hold that debate on Fox News,” opinion editor David Swerdlick wrote.
“Yes, time is running out, but the final 2020 debate was on Oct. 22 of that year,” he continued. “Yes, Trump would have to agree to do it — and based on his recent approach he probably wouldn’t — but Harris already knows that there’s no way he’ll accept her challenge to debate on CNN on Oct. 23.”
“There’s only one network where Harris would have another opportunity to speak to 67 million people at once, so why not?” Swerdlick asked.
He further argued that “Harris doesn’t need to throw Trump to the proverbial mat,” but just turn in a solid debate performance.
Swerdlick concluded, “[I]f it makes sense to debate on another network, it also makes sense to go on Fox News.”
He noted that she was a “no-show” for the Fox News debate in early September, so he ended up doing a town hall on the network instead. Harris did not accept the debate invitation from Fox.
Trump concluded, “There will be no third debate.”
He later reiterated the point on the campaign trail.
Trump participated in a CNN debate in late June against President Joe Biden, which helped precipitate the Democrat’s withdrawal from the race.
Recent polling suggests that Trump has the momentum in his match-up against Harris, meaning he might be even less inclined for another debate.
