Trump Declares He Won't Debate Harris Another Time
Following their recent debate, Harris' campaign issued a challenge to Trump for an additional debate.
TroibNews 
Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will not be debating Kamala Harris again. On Truth Social, he emphasized this decision by writing, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!,” referring to his initial debate with President Joe Biden in June and his recent debate with Harris.
Following their debate earlier this week, Harris' campaign issued a challenge for another debate, and Fox News expressed interest in hosting it. At a rally in North Carolina just after Trump’s announcement, Harris asserted, “We owe it to the voters to have another debate.”
Despite this appeal, Trump stated during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” that he “probably” would not participate in further debates with the network. He confirmed on Thursday that he would not debate the vice president again, claiming a decisive victory in what many considered a favorable outcome for Harris. He illustrated his point by saying, “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’”
Each campaign claimed victory after Tuesday’s debate, where Harris effectively deflected questions regarding the Biden administration and her previous positions. This strategy appeared to frustrate Trump, leading him to go off-topic during the debate, touching on crowd sizes and unfounded allegations about Haitian migrants in Ohio.
In the spin room after the debate, Trump told reporters that he considered it his best performance. However, he criticized ABC News, labeling it “a rigged deal” due to the live fact-checking by moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. Some Republicans also noted Trump's lackluster performance, with Sen. Lindsey Graham describing it as “a missed opportunity” and other GOP strategists expressing disappointment.
When asked on “Fox & Friends” about Fox’s proposal for a debate moderated by Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, Trump dismissed the anchors, suggesting that Fox opinion personalities like Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, and Laura Ingraham would be better moderators.
Trump’s campaign was reportedly unsure about his willingness to agree to another debate. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump who had a role in organizing the ABC News debate, revealed on Wednesday that the Trump campaign had already secured a debate with NBC on September 25. Later the same day, Lara Trump, the RNC co-chair, suggested that her father-in-law would be open to another debate, saying, “I think he’s very open, I think the American people deserve to see these two people and hear their ideas.”
After the debate, Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, circulated a memo indicating that despite negative reactions from many Republicans, Trump's performance may have positively impacted his support. Fabrizio claimed, “We found that despite the best efforts of Kamala Harris and media to portray the debate as some kind of overwhelming win for her, voters did not see it this way as support for her remained flat. The only change we saw was a 2-point bump for President Trump in both ballot configurations.”
In a show of confidence, Harris' campaign posted a complete recording of the debate to X, branding it “our newest ad.”
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Following their debate earlier this week, Harris' campaign issued a challenge for another debate, and Fox News expressed interest in hosting it. At a rally in North Carolina just after Trump’s announcement, Harris asserted, “We owe it to the voters to have another debate.”
Despite this appeal, Trump stated during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” that he “probably” would not participate in further debates with the network. He confirmed on Thursday that he would not debate the vice president again, claiming a decisive victory in what many considered a favorable outcome for Harris. He illustrated his point by saying, “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’”
Each campaign claimed victory after Tuesday’s debate, where Harris effectively deflected questions regarding the Biden administration and her previous positions. This strategy appeared to frustrate Trump, leading him to go off-topic during the debate, touching on crowd sizes and unfounded allegations about Haitian migrants in Ohio.
In the spin room after the debate, Trump told reporters that he considered it his best performance. However, he criticized ABC News, labeling it “a rigged deal” due to the live fact-checking by moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. Some Republicans also noted Trump's lackluster performance, with Sen. Lindsey Graham describing it as “a missed opportunity” and other GOP strategists expressing disappointment.
When asked on “Fox & Friends” about Fox’s proposal for a debate moderated by Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, Trump dismissed the anchors, suggesting that Fox opinion personalities like Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, and Laura Ingraham would be better moderators.
Trump’s campaign was reportedly unsure about his willingness to agree to another debate. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump who had a role in organizing the ABC News debate, revealed on Wednesday that the Trump campaign had already secured a debate with NBC on September 25. Later the same day, Lara Trump, the RNC co-chair, suggested that her father-in-law would be open to another debate, saying, “I think he’s very open, I think the American people deserve to see these two people and hear their ideas.”
After the debate, Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, circulated a memo indicating that despite negative reactions from many Republicans, Trump's performance may have positively impacted his support. Fabrizio claimed, “We found that despite the best efforts of Kamala Harris and media to portray the debate as some kind of overwhelming win for her, voters did not see it this way as support for her remained flat. The only change we saw was a 2-point bump for President Trump in both ballot configurations.”
In a show of confidence, Harris' campaign posted a complete recording of the debate to X, branding it “our newest ad.”
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
