Fox News seeks opportunity to host VP debate at Virginia HBCU

Fox News has requested the opportunity to host a vice presidential debate at Virginia State University, an HBCU, after President Joe Biden ignored the proposal for a presidential debate on the network for Oct. 1.

Anchor Bret Baier said former President Donald Trump has accepted the request on behalf of his future vice president, who has yet to be announced, but Biden’s campaign has not accepted yet.

“On behalf of the future Vice President of the United States, who I have not yet chosen, we hereby accept the Fox Vice Presidential debate, hopefully at Virginia State University,” Trump said to Baier. “The first Historically Black College or University to host a debate. Date to be determined. I urge Vice President Kamala Harris to agree to this. Make America Great Again.”

The invitation could be in conflict with news Harris already accepted a debate invite from CBS on similar dates to those proposed by Fox.

Fox News reached out to the university to host the debate on either July 23, Aug. 13, or after both parties’ conventions. If accepted, it would feature Harris and whoever Trump has chosen to be his vice president — those rumored to be in contention include Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and J.D. Vance (R-OH), Govs. Doug Burgum (R-ND) and Kristi Noem (R-SD), and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Byron Donalds (R-FL).

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Fox News said the moderators for the proposed debate would be Baier and Martha MacCallum. The network is not currently scheduled to hold a presidential debate, though Trump accepted an invite from the network. Debates that have been accepted by both presidential candidates will be hosted by CNN and ABC News.

The CNN debate is scheduled to take place on June 27, and the ABC debate is scheduled for Sept. 10. Third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has already said he “will meet the criteria to participate in the CNN debate before the June 20 deadline,” though there has been no confirmation on whether he will participate.