Vice President Kamala Harris taunted former President Donald Trump to meet her on a debate stage before the November election while she campaigned in Atlanta on Tuesday night.
“He won’t debate, but he and his running mate sure seem to have a lot to say about me,” Harris said. “Well, Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage because, as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face.”
A debate between Trump and Mr. Biden was planned for Sept. 10 before the president dropped out of the race. On Monday, Trump told Fox News he wanted to debate but that he could also “make a case for not doing it.”
Harris portrayed herself as the underdog in the race against Trump but said the “momentum in this race is shifting and there are signs that Donald Trump is feeling it.”
It’s Harris’ first visit to Georgia since President Biden ended his reelection campaign. Her campaign is trying to keep the battleground state in play. Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, noted the importance of the state moments into her speech.
“I am very clear: The path to the White House runs right through this state,” Harris said. “You all helped us win in 2020 and we are going to do it again in 2024.”
Mr. Biden very narrowly won the state against former President Donald Trump four years ago — a rare victory in a state that hadn’t backed a Democrat for president in nearly three decades. It was Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance in Atlanta against Trump in June that ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race.
Harris also laid out some priorities for her potential administration, including bringing back a bipartisan border bill that Trump lobbied Republican members of Congress to sink, taking on price gouging, and capping “unfair rent increases” and prescription drug costs.
Her mention of the border security bill was aimed at blunting a criticism increasingly leveled at her by Republicans.
Before Harris took the stage, Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, wearing a royal blue pantsuit, performed a handful of her hits, including “Savage” and “Mamushi.”
Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Mayor Andre Dickens, Rep. Nikema Williams and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams also joined Harris at the event.
More than 10,000 people attended the event, according to the campaign, which said it was her largest rally to date.
John Bazemore / AP
Harris is expected to pick her running mate by Monday, and a top tier of candidates has emerged, CBS News has learned. Harris said earlier Tuesday she has “not yet” made a decision about her running mate.
Harris and the yet-to-be-named vice presidential candidate will campaign together in battleground states next week, sources familiar with the plans told CBS News.
Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, are scheduled to campaign in Atlanta on Saturday.
—Nidia Cavazos contributed reporting.