 "Vice President Kamala Harris (right) shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during a presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, on September 10, 2024. Source: AFP.")
A second debate between Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris would have possibly given American voters a clearer picture of whom to vote for in the November 5, 2024 US elections, but Trump has clearly denied a face-off with Harris.
Trump’s reaction came soon after Fox News invited the two 2024 US Presidential election contenders to participate in a possible second debate on either October 24 or October 27, less than a fortnight before the much-awaited polls.
As per a report in Reuters, Fox News in a statement said that a second debate “would present an opportunity for each candidate to make their closing arguments.”
Why Trump denied another debate with Harris?
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump argued that he had accepted the Fox News invitation to debate Harris on September 4, but she “turned it down”.
“It is very late in the process, voting has already begun - there will be no rematch! Besides, Kamala stated clearly, yesterday, that she would not do anything different than Joe Biden, so there is nothing to debate (sic),” Trump further said.
Trump also said that he has won the last two debates - one with US President Joe Biden and the other with Harris.
Trump also claimed that he has been leading in the polls, “with the lead getting bigger by the day - and leading in all swing states.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTrump and Harris debated each other for the first time on September 10. After that too, he had said there would not be another debate before the November 5 election.
The former president faced then-Democratic presidential candidate Biden in a debate in late June. Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate less than a month after the disastrous performance.
Trump has also rejected a past invitation from CNN for an October 23 debate, which was accepted by Harris.
Last week, Harris’ running mate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz debated Trump’s running mate and US Senator JD Vance.
On September 10 debate, Harris put Trump on the defensive with a stream of attacks on his fitness for office, his support of abortion restrictions and his myriad legal woes.
With inputs from Reuters.