Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will not participate in a third televised debate with his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, ahead of the November election.
The statement follows their heated clash on Tuesday, hosted by ABC News and watched by 67 million viewers.
“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, referencing his earlier debates with Harris and President Joe Biden in June.
Trump’s decision comes after Harris’s campaign immediately called for another debate in October, putting Trump on the defensive.
The Democratic candidate’s performance in Tuesday’s debate was well-received, with a CNN snap poll showing Harris outperformed Trump by 63 percent to 37 percent. A YouGov poll also noted that Harris laid out a clearer plan by 43 to 32 percent.
Trump dismissed calls for a rematch, claiming Harris was desperate for another chance. “Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate,” he wrote, adding, “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’”
Despite initially expressing willingness to appear on NBC and Fox, Trump’s latest comments signal he will not debate Harris again before the election.
A separate debate between vice presidential running mates, Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Republican Senator J.D. Vance, is scheduled for October 1 on CBS News.
