New ads calling Trump 'afraid to debate' to follow him on campaign trail

By Jarrett Renshaw

(Reuters) -The Democratic National Committee's newest advertising campaign, launched on Friday, taunt Republican rival Donald Trump for not committing to a debate with Kamala Harris and is set to follow him on the campaign trail.

The DNC has purchased large ads that dominate the digital homepages of major local newspapers in states where Trump plans to campaign in the coming weeks. The ads say "the convicted felon is afraid to debate" and question whether that is due to his stance on abortion.

The first ads are running on the Atlanta Journal Constitution's homepage ahead of Trump's visit to the Georgia capital on Saturday and the ad campaign will follow him through local news outlets at each rally stop, the DNC said.

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump welcomes an opportunity to compare records, but stopped short of saying the former president will debate Harris.

"President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion. Kamala Harris and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and even after birth," Leavitt said.

Trump emerged a clear victor from his June 27 debate with President Joe Biden, whose faltering performance renewed voters' deep concerns about his age. The two had agreed to a second debate on Sept. 10.

After Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and backed Harris, Trump said that he would not debate her because she was not the official candidate. He added that former President Barack Obama had yet to endorse her as proof of lack of support for her bid. A day later, Obama endorsed Harris, who on Friday secured the delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Recent polls show a tight contest between Harris and Trump, who had enjoyed a bigger lead over Biden after the first debate.

Trump has suggested the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News should be moved to Fox News. Last week, in a phone call with reporters, Trump was asked if he’d commit to debating Harris at least once. He responded: “Oh, yes, absolutely. I’d want to,” and he said there was an obligation to debate.

In an interview on Monday, Fox host Laura Ingraham repeatedly pressed Trump on whether he would commit to a debate. “The answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it," Trump said.

The issue has become a rallying cry for Harris. At a campaign rally on Tuesday, Harris urged Trump to think again.

“I do hope you’ll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage ... because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face," Harris said.

On Friday, Trump said he didn't need to debate Harris, because he was leading in the polls and voters already knew where he and his Democratic rival stood on issues.

“Well, I want to,” Trump said on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria. “Right now I say, ‘Why should I do a debate?’ I’m leading in the polls, and everybody knows her, everybody knows me.”

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington and Alistair Bell)