Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has announced he will not participate in a second televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, ahead of November's US presidential election, the BBC reported Sunday.
The decision comes after CNN extended invitations to both candidates for a debate on Oct. 23. While Harris accepted, Trump told supporters at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday that it was "too late" for another debate, citing ongoing voting in some states.
"Voting has already started," Trump said, accusing Harris of seeking another round of sparring "because she's losing badly." He also claimed victory in their previous debate, held on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia.
However, snap polls taken after that encounter suggested a majority of viewers believed Harris outperformed her challenger. The vice president's campaign team argued that given Trump's claims of victory in the first debate, he should accept the invitation for a second.
Jen O'Malley Dillon, Harris-Walz campaign chair, stressed the importance of additional debates in a statement on Saturday. "It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate," she said. "Debates offer a unique chance for voters to see the candidates side by side and take stock of their competing visions for America."
Harris took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce she had "gladly" accepted the debate invitation and expressed hope that Trump would also participate.
The proposed CNN debate would have followed the same format as the one broadcast in June between Trump and President Joe Biden. That earlier debate had significant consequences, with Biden's performance leading some Democrats to question his candidacy. The president subsequently announced he would not seek re-election, paving the way for Harris to become the nominee.
At Trump's North Carolina rally, some supporters expressed interest in seeing another debate. Steve Castellano, a Trump backer, told the BBC, "If you're not afraid, why not? They both did great [at the last debate]." He suggested potential conditions for a rematch, including allowing Trump to choose the network and considering alternative moderators.
The debate decision comes at a crucial time in the campaign. Harris currently holds a slight lead over Trump in national polling averages, with North Carolina potentially playing a pivotal role in Trump's bid to return to the White House.
Trump's campaign stop in North Carolina coincided with controversy surrounding his endorsed candidate for governor, Mark Robinson. CNN reported that Robinson had made controversial comments on an adult website over a decade ago, including allegedly referring to himself as a "black Nazi." Robinson dismissed the report as "salacious tabloid lies."
The previous debate between Harris and Trump was marked by sharp exchanges, with Trump labeling Harris a "radical left liberal" and a Marxist. Harris, in turn, mocked Trump's rally crowd sizes and quoted his Republican critics.
