Donald Trump has announced he will not participate in any more presidential debates against Kamala Harris before the crucial November election. His declaration came on Thursday, a mere two days after their initial debate in Philadelphia, where he expressed that Harris’s push for another debate stemmed from his apparent victory.
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Instant polls following the debate on Tuesday showed a preference for Harris’s performance over Trump’s. Despite this, Trump advised Harris to concentrate on her responsibilities as Vice-President rather than pursuing another debate.
In response, at a subsequent rally in North Carolina, Harris argued the necessity of another debate, emphasizing the critical nature of the issues at stake and the candidates’ obligation to the electorate.
The race between the two is reportedly neck and neck as the election nears. Both Harris and Trump have claimed victory from Tuesday’s confrontation aired on ABC News, which saw Harris launch a series of personal attacks that seemingly caught Trump off-guard, including critiques on his rally sizes and his actions during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Accusations of bias towards Harris from Trump and his supporters were directed at the ABC journalists moderating the debate. Trump reiterated on Thursday via a post on Truth Social that he saw no need for another debate, likening his situation to a prizefighter wanting a rematch after a loss but insisting the polls demonstrated his win.
He continued his campaign trail with a rally in Arizona and an interview backstage with Telemundo Arizona, where he mentioned the redundancy of another debate, believing all necessary topics were already covered.
Contrarily, the Harris campaign has been vocal about their desire for a second debate, maintaining that it would allow voters to better understand their choices at the polls. Despite assertions from Trump campaign surrogates like Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz that Trump might welcome another debate, Trump himself indicated a diminished interest following what he described as a “rigged” debate on Fox News.
This stance seems to contradict previous statements from his campaign, with senior adviser Jason Miller suggesting on CNN that Trump had committed to participating in three debates.
Discussions for a debate on NBC News were ongoing, though no official comments have been made following Trump’s recent refusal.
