Donald Trump Rejects Doing Another Debate With Kamala Harris

Ted Johnson
·3 min read
2

UPDATED with Harris response: Donald Trump is rejecting the idea of another debate with Kamala Harris, as he continues to claim that he won Tuesday’s event despite polls and widespread punditry that he was soundly defeated.

“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social this afternoon, referring to the first debate as the June 27 CNN event with Joe Biden and the second as the ABC News event with Harris.

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Trump also claimed that Harris rejected debates from NBC and CBS and was a “no-show” for a debate sponsored by Fox. But no agreement had ever been reached for a Fox debate, while the network proposed three dates before Tuesday’s matchup. The Harris campaign also has said that it favors another debate. NBC News has pitched such an event, and CBS News is sponsoring a vice presidential debate on Oct. 1.

Harris responded to Trump, writing on X, “Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate. We owe it to the voters to have another debate.”

Her campaign’s senior adviser, David Plouffe, wrote on X, “Let’s see if chicken man excises Hannibal Lecter out of his speech tonight. If he does, demonstrates he was humiliated on that point on Tuesday night. If he doesn’t, well, that would be awesome. Classic win, win.”

In an appearance on Fox & Friends on Wednesday, Trump signaled that he may not be up for an additional debate, and rejected the idea of Fox News’ Martha MacCallum or Bret Baier moderating one and instead suggested Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham or Jesse Watters. Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade defended Baier and MacCallum, and told Trump that they would be “extremely fair.”

That said, things could change, especially if Trump starts slipping in the polls, and looks for a way to change the dynamics of the race.

If this week’s debate ends up being the only one between the two presidential candidates, it will be the first time since 1980 the two major party nominees have had only one face off in the general election. That year, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had just one debate.

Trump’s complete statement below:

“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. 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. 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. KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”

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