Donald Trump rules out second debate with Kamala Harris

Friday, 13 September 2024

Former US President Donald Trump has ruled out a second debate with Kamala Harris.

In a post on his social media network Truth Social, Trump said in bold capitals “there will be no third debate”.

Trump said the first debate was against Joe Biden and the second against “Comrade Harris”.

Likening the debates to a prizefight, he said: “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.”

In the post, Trump said his opponent should focus on what she should have done over the past four years.

Trump’s post came after the Harris campaign said the Vice-President was keen for a second debate.

Harris said during a North Carolina campaign rally on Thursday she believed she and Trump “owe it to voters” to debate again.

At the rally in Charlotte, Harris said Trump showed in the debate that he has “plans for how he would address the needs of the American people, because it’s all about him, it’s not about you”.

Snap polls following the feisty debate had Harris as the winner, something Trump widely disputed. He said despite the debate being rigged, he still won.

Harris’ campaign says it raised US$47 million (NZ$76m) in the 24 hours after her first debate with Trump. The campaign says it came from nearly 600,000 donors.

“This historic, 24-hour haul reflects a strong and growing coalition of Americans united behind Vice President Harris’ candidacy that knows the stakes this November, and are doing their part to defeat Donald Trump this November,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said.

Both Harris and Trump were targeting campaigning in the swing states, both hoping to expand their narrow paths to victory in the closely fought presidential campaign.

Trump was heading west to Tucson, Arizona.

– Stuff with AP