Donald Trump has announced that he will not participate in any further televised debates with his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, ahead of the upcoming November presidential election.
“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” the Republican candidate declared on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. He referenced the earlier debate with President Joe Biden in June and his recent face-off with Harris on Tuesday night.
The ABC News-hosted debate between Trump and Harris drew 67 million viewers. Soon after, Harris’ campaign called for another debate in October.
Following the debate, Trump initially said he would consider participating in future debates with NBC or Fox News. However, his latest statement, written in his signature mix of all-caps, made it clear that he would not return to the debate stage.
“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,” Trump wrote in his post.
At a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, Harris called on Trump to participate in another debate following their initial encounter.
According to a CNN snap poll, Harris was viewed as the stronger performer in their debate by 63% of viewers, compared to 37% who favored Trump. A YouGov poll also showed that 43% of respondents thought Harris laid out a clearer plan, while 32% sided with Trump.
A separate debate between the vice presidential candidates—Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the Democrats and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance for the Republicans—is scheduled to take place on October 1, hosted by CBS News.
Both Trump and Harris spent Thursday campaigning in key battleground states, with Harris holding rallies in North Carolina and Trump campaigning in Arizona.
