Trump rules out another presidential debate against Harris

11 minutes ago

Bernd Debusmann JrBBC News, Washington

Trump says he won’t debate again as Harris calls for another

Donald Trump has ruled out another presidential debate against his rival Kamala Harris before November’s election.

He said on Thursday – two days after the pair’s first showdown in Philadelphia – that Harris wanted a rematch because he "clearly" won.

Several instant polls taken after Tuesday’s contest indicated voters felt Harris had performed better than her Republican opponent.

Trump added that Harris should "focus" on her job as vice-president. Shortly after, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Harris responded
by saying they "owe" voters another debate because "what is at stake could not be more important".

Polls suggest the two candidates are in an extremely tight race with just two months to go before the election.

Both candidates claimed victory after Tuesday’s 90-minute debate on ABC News, in which Harris rattled Trump with a string of personal
attacks that put him on the defensive. These included comments about the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the 6 January
2021 riot at the US Capitol.

Trump and his supporters have since accused the two ABC journalists that moderated the debate of being unfair and biased in favour of Harris.

"When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are ‘I want a rematch’," Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday.

"Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ radical left candidate… and she immediately called for
a second debate," he added.

Getty Images

Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed victory in the 10 September debate with Kamala Harris.

The Harris campaign called for a second debate immediately after Philadelphia, stating that voters "got to see the choice they will face at the ballot
box: moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump".

"Vice-President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?" the campaign said.

Speaking after the debate, various Trump campaign surrogates – including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz – said they believed
Trump would welcome another debate.
However, Trump said on Fox News the following morning that the debate had been "rigged" and that he was "less inclined" to attend another after
his "great night".

(With additional reporting from Ana Faguy)