Former President Donald Trump has declared there will be no third presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, just days after their recent face-off.
According to a report from the Washington Examiner, Trump made this announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday.
Trump's decision comes in the wake of the Harris campaign's call for a second debate following their encounter on ABC News in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The former president cited poll results suggesting his victory in the debate as a reason for rejecting further contests.
In his Truth Social post, Trump likened the situation to a prizefighter demanding a rematch after losing a fight. He wrote:
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.
The former president continued his commentary by highlighting Vice President Harris's debate participation history. He pointed out her non-attendance at the Fox debate and her decision to decline invitations from NBC and CBS for further debates.
Trump then offered a pointed suggestion to Harris, asserting that she should concentrate on her performance during her current term in office. He emphatically stated that a third debate would not occur, effectively closing the door on any future discussions between them in this format.
Following Tuesday's debate, the Harris campaign promptly issued a call for a second debate. Campaign Chairwoman Jen O'Malley Dillon released a statement emphasizing the importance of providing voters with more opportunities to see the candidates side by side.
O'Malley Dillon stated:
Under the bright lights, 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?
The debate schedule has been a point of contention between the two campaigns. Trump had initially accepted meetings on Fox News on September 4 and ABC News on September 10, with an additional NBC News debate scheduled for September 25. However, Harris has only agreed to the ABC News debate thus far.
Trump has also expressed preferences regarding debate moderators, advocating for Fox News opinion anchors Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, or Laura Ingraham instead of the network's proposed moderators, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
The Harris campaign has suggested a different approach for the next debate, proposing a meeting between the vice presidential candidates, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), on CBS News on October 1.
Trump has declared there will be no third debate with Harris, citing poll results indicating his victory in their recent encounter. The Harris campaign has called for additional debates, emphasizing the importance of voter exposure to both candidates.
Disagreements persist regarding debate scheduling and moderator selection, with both campaigns proposing different formats and participants for future meetings.
