Former President Donald Trump has announced that he will not be participating in any more debates this election season after facing off against Vice President Kamala Harris for the first time. This decision comes after a new poll showed that most voters believe Harris won the debate. Trump stated that all the issues with Harris and Biden were discussed in the previous debates, so there is no need for a third one.
Trump claimed that Harris was a no-show at a Fox debate and refused to participate in debates on NBC or CBS. However, Harris’ campaign had previously stated that they were open to further debates after the ABC faceoff on Tuesday. Trump expressed reluctance to debate Harris again, citing his victory in their first debate as a reason not to engage in another one. Despite this, Trump’s adviser Jason Miller suggested that another debate could still happen if Harris shows up.
The Harris campaign responded to Trump’s announcement by pointing to Harris’ previous statements in favor of additional debates. It remains to be seen whether Trump will stick to his decision not to participate in any more debates or if he will backtrack on his statement. Leading up to the ABC debate, Trump had previously announced that he was canceling the faceoff, so there is a possibility that his decision could change in the future.
The debate between Trump and Harris on ABC covered a range of important topics, including abortion rights, ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, and the state of the economy. Pundits praised Harris for her performance, suggesting that she was able to bait Trump into getting off-topic and defending himself rather than addressing the issues at hand. Trump’s performance was noticeably different from his first debate with Biden, where he was perceived as the winner, leading to calls for him to end his campaign.
Nielsen data showed that over 67 million people watched the debate between Trump and Harris, representing an 18% increase compared to the previous debate between Trump and Biden. Despite Trump’s decision not to participate in any more debates, there is still a possibility that another faceoff could occur if Harris agrees to it. The outcome of this decision remains uncertain as both campaigns continue to discuss the possibility of additional debates.
