Former President Donald Trump declared on Thursday that he would not participate in another debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, who signaled that she wants a second face-off — but only after getting favorable treatment by the moderators during their first match held by ABC News earlier this week.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’ Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social.
“She and Crooked Joe have destroyed our Country, with millions of criminals and mentally deranged people pouring into the USA, totally unchecked and unvetted, and with Inflation bankrupting our Middle Class,” he added. “Everyone knows this, and all of the other problems caused by Kamala and Joe – It was discussed in great detail during the First Debate with Joe, and the Second Debate with Comrade Harris. She was a no-show at the Fox Debate, and refused to do NBC & CBS.”
Ending his statement, Trump emphasized, “KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
In a post to X roughly an hour later, Harris said, “Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate. We owe it to the voters to have another debate.”
Harris and Trump clashed on Tuesday about such issues as abortion, the economy, national security, and border security. Despite what Trump said in his post to Truth Social, some early post-debate polls have shown viewers believe Harris performed better than him. However, the moderators, anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, have faced intense criticism from the Right for challenging Trump on his claims while neglecting to do the same kind of fact-checking against Harris.
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The VP’s team released a statement soon after the ABC debate, calling for a second match in October. Jen O’Malley, the chairwoman of Harris’ campaign, said, “The American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump. That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
On Fox News, live from the debate venue in Philadelphia after the event concluded, Trump said Harris wanted a second debate “because she lost.” Pressed by host Sean Hannity whether he would agree to another match, Trump said he might do it “if it was on a fair network.” Trump later told reporters he was open to Fox or NBC hosting the next one. However, as Trump made clear on Truth Social, he is no longer interested in doing another debate before the November election.
The very first 2024 general election debate, held by CNN in June, featured Trump and President Joe Biden. Biden’s fumbling performance sparked a crisis of confidence among his allies and he stepped aside under pressure. After Harris took over atop the Democratic Party’s ticket, Trump floated three debates against her: the ABC event, as well as one held by Fox News on September 4 and another held by NBC News on September 25. The proposed Fox News date was later used for a town hall featuring Trump and Hannity. Harris’ campaign indicated it would only consider a second debate against Trump in October if he attended the ABC debate first and confirmed the VP’s interest when it ended.
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If Trump and Harris do not face off again, all that remains is the vice presidential debate. Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Harris’ and Trump’s running mates, respectively, will clash in a debate held by CBS News on October 1. Harris’ campaign refused to accept Vance’s offer of a second VP debate held by CNN.
