The Trump campaign won't agree to a general election debate with Vice President Kamala Harris until she is the official Democrat nominee, reports The Hill.
"Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee," Trump communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Cheung said many in the Democratic Party view Kamala as "a Marxist fraud." He claimed the party is still "holding out for someone 'better,'" pointing to former President Barack Obama's failure to endorse her to date as evidence.
"Therefore, it would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds," he said.
The Democratic Party convention will be held in Chicago from Aug. 19-22, and Harris has secured enough pledged delegates to be the presumptive nominee. However, it's not binding until the delegates vote, which is scheduled to begin next week.
Trump and President Joe Biden originally agreed to a debate on Sept. 10, which Harris has said she is ready to honor in Biden's stead after he dropped out of the race.
"I have agreed to the previously agreed upon Sept. 10 debate. He [former President Donald Trump] agreed to that previously," Harris said. "Now, here he is backpedaling, and I'm ready, and I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage, and so I'm ready. Let's go."
Trump told reporters on a press call that he would absolutely debate Harris.
"I have at least equal say, and I don't like the idea of ABC," he said. "I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually."
"I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden. But I want to debate her. They have the same policies. I think debating is important for a presidential race," he said.