ABC News is rushing to rescue the presidential debate it had scheduled, which may not proceed due to a legal conflict involving the Republican nominee.
Former President Trump announced on Saturday that the ABC debate has been “terminated” because President Biden, the candidate he had agreed to face on Sept. 10, “will no longer be a participant.”
“[A]nd I am currently involved in litigation against ABC Network and George Stephanopoulos, creating a conflict of interest,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her supporters have accused Trump of “chickening out” of the ABC debate, even though the arrangement was negotiated and confirmed between the Trump and Biden campaigns, not the Trump and Harris campaigns. ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis were slated to moderate the showdown in September.
TRUMP’S DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST ABC, STEPHANOPOULOS CAN PROCEED, JUDGE DECIDES
Former President Trump has opted out of ABC’s presidential debate initially scheduled with President Biden, who has since exited the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
The Harris campaign has consistently stated she will participate regardless of Trump’s decision, raising questions about ABC’s plans for the scheduled debate time. When contacted for comments, it directed Fox News Digital to spokesperson Michael Tyler’s statements that Trump was “running scared.”
“The Vice President will be there come what may to address a prime-time national audience,” Tyler noted. “We’re open to discussing additional debates once the one both campaigns agreed upon takes place. Mr. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace should have no issues with that unless he’s too afraid to show up on the 10th.”
Recently, Trump celebrated a courtroom victory when ABC’s attempt to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against the network was unsuccessful.
“A jury may find sufficient context upon viewing the segment. However, a reasonable jury could conclude that the Plaintiff was defamed and, as a result, dismissal is improper,” ruled Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the United States District Court in Miami.
The lawsuit is a result of comments made by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in March, who falsely claimed that Trump had been found “liable for rape” in a civil case against the Republican hopeful.
ABC MUST SUPPORT GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS AS TRUMP PURSUES DEFAMATION LAWSUIT, LEGAL EXPERTS SAY
Stephanopoulos made this assertion during a tense discussion with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on his Sunday show “This Week.” Afterplaying a clip of Mace discussing her experience as a rape victim, Stephanopoulos queried, “How do you reconcile your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just observed?”
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two juries have determined he is liable for rape and for disparaging the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos stated, referencing the legal victory by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll.
George Stephanopoulos asserted multiple times that former President Trump was found “liable for rape” during the March interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. (Screenshot/ABC News)
Stephanopoulos reiterated that claim ten times during his confrontation with Mace, even though a jury determined Trump was liable for “sexual abuse,” a term with a specific meaning under New York state law.
The ABC News anchor stood firm regarding the lawsuit in a May appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“Trump sued me for using the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge affirmed that it indeed occurred,” Stephanopoulos commented. “A motion to dismiss has been filed.”
ABC NEWS’ GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS INCORRECTLY STATED TRUMP WAS FOUND ‘LIABLE FOR RAPE’ 10 TIMES, LEGAL EXPERTS STATED
After the federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape, Judge Lewis Kaplan later remarked that although Carroll did not prove rape “under New York Penal Law, it does not imply that she failed to demonstrate that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her in common terms.”
A source familiar with the situation revealed Trump had initially consented to the ABC debate in May, nearly two months after he had filed his defamation lawsuit against Stephanopoulos and the network.
ABC is working hard to maintain its presidential debate that was initially arranged between Trump and Biden. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
Deteriorating ABC’s prospects for hosting a presidential debate was a recent heated exchange Trump had with ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, who confronted the former president during a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention last week. Harris was also invited but did not attend.
Scott began by “addressing the elephant in the room.”
TRUMP CLASHES WITH ABC NEWS REPORTER OVER ‘NASTY QUESTION,’ LAMBASTS ‘FAKE NEWS NETWORK’ DURING TENSE Q&A
“Many believe it was inappropriate for you to be present today. You’ve made baseless claims about your opponents from Nikki Haley to former President Barack Obama, asserting they were not born in the U.S., which is false. You have told four congresswomen of color, who are American citizens, to return to where they came from. You have used terms like ‘animal’ and ‘rabid’ to characterize Black attorneys. You’ve been critical of Black journalists, labeling them as ‘losers’ and designating their queries as ‘stupid and racist,'” Scott stated.
“You’ve dined with a White supremacist at Mar-a-Lago. So, my question, sir, now that you’re requesting Black supporters to back you,” she continued. “Why should Black voters have faith in you after you’ve employed such language?”
Former President Trump had a heated exchange with ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott at the NABJ convention in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump retorted, “I don’t recall ever being posed a question so poorly, right from the start. You didn’t even greet me with ‘hello, how are you.'”
“Are you affiliated with ABC? Because they’re a fake news network, a terrible organization,” Trump continued. “It’s disgraceful that I came here with goodwill. I cherish the Black community in this country; I’ve done a lot for them.”
This confrontation set the tone for the rest of the discussion, where Trump took multiple jabs at the ABC correspondent.
The Trump campaign referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s past remarks concerning Stephanopoulos. Fox News Digital also contacted ABC News for their response.
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In the meantime, Trump has confirmed his participation in a presidential debate organized by Fox News Channel in Pennsylvania on Sept. 4, the week before the planned ABC debate. Harris has not yet responded to the invitation.
The ABC event was expected to be the second presidential debate between Trump and Biden, following the CNN debate that led to Biden withdrawing from the race after a poor performance. Harris quickly became the anticipated Democratic nominee after Biden’s endorsement.
Fox News’ David Rutz and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
