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Election 2024 updates: Trump says he has agreed to ABC News offer to debate Harris

Trump said he has agreed to ABC News' debate on Sept. 10.

Last Updated: August 8, 2024, 1:25 PM EDT

Fresh off a newly minted Democratic ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are set to go on tour, hitting several battleground states in five days -- alongside them and mirroring their schedule state by state is Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance.

On Monday, Harris introduced Walz to a fired-up crowd in Philadelphia; Vance was also in Pennsylvania on Monday. The candidates will campaign next in Wisconsin and Michigan.

1:25 PM EDT

House Democratic armed service veterans defend Walz' record

Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., and Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who are all veterans, defended Gov. Tim Walz Thursday following attacks on his service by Sen. JD Vance and other Republicans.

Crow said the attacks coming from Republicans are "old and tired."

"They have no options but to try to do one of the worst things you can do in America, that is to attack a veteran for their service," he said adding, "We're not going to put up with it."

Auchincloss said the Trump and Vance ticket doesn't represent the values of veterans.

"I thank JD Vance for his service, but his political career and his political positions are antithetical to the values of veterans, and Donald Trump has a long track record of disparaging veterans," he said.

Sherrill said the Harris-Walz ticket is "fantastic" and one that "veterans can get behind, because we know they will continue to fight to support our veterans with legislation like the PACT Act."

Thursday marked the second anniversary of the PACT Act, which provides health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

8:19 AM EDT

Trump announces Mar-a-Lago news conference on Thursday afternoon

Former President Donald Trump announced via social media that he would hold a "general news conference" slated for Thursday afternoon.

The announcement comes as Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are campaigning in Michigan amid a battleground state blitz.

Trump's last outing on the campaign trail was in Georgia on Saturday, although he has done media interviews this week.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance -- also campaigning in battleground states this week -- has been critical of Harris for not talking to the media since becoming the Democratic nominee. During his battleground state visits, he's taken several questions from the press, attempting to draw contrast with Harris.

Trump also mentioned Harris' lack of media appearances, suggesting it's because "she is unable to answer questions."

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

6:48 AM EDT

Harris leads Trump among likely voters nationally: Poll

A poll from Marquette University Law School of voters nationally found Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump among likely voters in a 2024 general election head-to-head matchup.

Among registered voters, in a two-way matchup, Harris leads Trump by four points, 52% to 48%. Yet among two-way likely voters, the vice president leads the former president by six points, 53% to 47%.

The poll, taken from July 24 to Aug. 1, has a margin of error of +/-4.1 percentage points among registered voters; and +/-4.7 percentage points among likely voters.

The poll was taken entirely after the assassination attempt on Trump and President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, and entirely before Harris announced her running mate.

1:19 AM EDT

Uncommitted leaders say they brought up arms embargo to Harris in Michigan

Uncommitted leaders say they spoke quickly with Vice President Kamala Harris before her rally in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday after they reached out to her team to meet, they told ABC News.

Layla Elabed, the sister of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Abbas Alawieh, an Uncommitted delegate, say they were in the welcoming line for Harris and Gov. Tim Walz where they communicated to Harris that they wanted to support her but that voters wanted her to consider an arms embargo.

According to the group, the two asked to meet with her about the arms embargo request, and they said she indicated she was open to it and introduced the two leaders to her staff.

According to a campaign official, during the "brief" interaction, Harris "reaffirmed” that the campaign will continue to "engage with those communities."

"Since October 7, the Vice President has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza. In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities," read a statement from the campaign.

"The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table. As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination," the statement concluded.

Harris has noticeably tried to thread the needle on the war in Gaza in an attempt to bridge divides within the party over the Israel-Hamas war. However, she has been aligned with President Joe Biden in vowing unwavering support for Israel and stressing that the way Israel carries out its war against Hamas matters specifically in regards that to civilian safety.

Pro-Palestinian protesters were present at the Harris-Walz rally on Wednesday, a fairly normal citing at her events. They chanted "Kamala, Kamala you can't Hide, we won't vote for genocide." The crowd booed and drowned out the protesters with chants of "Kamala."

She quipped her usual line "I'm here because we believe in democracy. Everyone's voice matters, but I am speaking now. I am speaking now," but added a more blunt reply: "You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking."

Members of the Uncommitted movement have indicated to ABC News that Harris' language regarding Gaza in the coming months is crucial to gaining their support, something they've said they would not have been able to give to President Biden.

At the end of their Zoom call earlier, before meeting Harris, the leaders acknowledged that former President Donald Trump was actively attacking Palestinians and that they're "movement will be mobilizing to make sure that … our community understands how dangerous Donald Trump is."

Alawieh expressed the belief that Harris will "do the right thing" and unite their party around "a more humane Gaza policy."

The New York Times was first to report on the interaction.

-ABC News' Gabriella Abdul-Hakim