Following their Tuesday night debate in Philadelphia, former President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris again. “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump said at the end of a lengthy message on his Truth Social account. The first presidential debate took place in June between Trump and Biden.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH,'” Trump said in his statement, defending his decision and claiming unidentified surveys showed he had won.
Later in the day, during a campaign appearance in Tucson, Arizona, he stated, “There will be no third debate because we have already held two successful debates. “It’s too late; voting has already begun.”
However, initial polls conducted by Reuters, YouGov, and CNN revealed that a large majority of respondents believed Harris outperformed Trump. Most journalists and observers thought that Harris had the better hand in the debate, with the vice president largely keeping on the offensive while putting Trump on the defense.
Trump struggled to keep his message focused at times, repeating unsubstantiated allegations that Haitian migrants eat pets, arguing that people do not leave his rallies early, and claiming to have “concepts” for a health-care plan.
Shortly after Trump’s post, Harris spoke to a crowd at a rally in North Carolina, saying she was open to another debate. “I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate,” she told the audience. Many of Trump’s allies also believed Harris won in Philadelphia. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who endorsed Trump after dropping his independent presidential bid, told Fox News on Wednesday that Harris “clearly won the debate in terms of her delivery, polish, organization, and preparation,” despite the fact that “I think President Trump wins in terms of his governance.”
“But he didn’t tell that story,” Kennedy said on Fox News. After the debate ended Tuesday night, Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia wrote to X, “You want to know who won?” Find out who refuses to have a second debate.”
