Donald Trump has agreed to debate his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris on US TV.
The Republican nominee used his Truth Social platform to announce he had accepted an offer from Fox News to hold a debate with the serving vice-president on September 4.
"Rules will be similar to the rules of my debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his party, but with a full arena audience," Trump said, referring to President Joe Biden, who has since dropped his reelection bid.
The post was removed for a few minutes before being reposted, with Trump deleting his proposal for a "major" town hall gathering on the same date if Harris was "unwilling or unable to debate".
Harris had said last month she was "ready" after Fox News proposed the presidential debate between the two candidates on September 17.
After Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and backed Harris, Trump said he would not debate her because she was not the official candidate.
As proof of her lack of support, he added former President Barack Obama had yet to endorse her. But Obama did so a day later, and on Friday, she secured the delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.
Trump said the debate would take place in the battleground state of Pennsylvania with a "full arena audience."
The first and only debate this year between Trump and Biden had no in-house audience
Biden’s decision to step back in favour of Harris has boosted the Democrats with polls showing them gaining support in an election many pundits expected Trump to win.
Trump’s son Eric said his father was “doing great” after the failed attempt on his life and was “out campaigning.”
Speaking during a visit to Scotland where the family own property, Mr Trump described his father as “the best president his country has seen ever” and compared him to Winston Churchill due to his lack of political correctness.
He also described the Gaza war as “insane” and said he believed his father would meet with Palestinian leaders in a bid to end the war – as well as President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in a bid to end the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump said: “You could probably draw a lot of parallels with Churchill – funny and un-politically correct, and effective.
“He says what everyone’s thinking.
“When he was shot with blood running down his face, chanting ‘fight, fight, fight’ – that’s what our country needs. There will never be a better ally for the UK and the West than Donald Trump.”
Speaking about Kamala Harris, his father’s rival for the presidency, he said: “What’s she done? She’s been in charge of AI and immigration – she doesn’t even know how to spell AI.”
