Donald Trump said decisively Thursday that “there will be no third debate” against Vice President Kamala Harris following Tuesday’s outing on ABC.
In a post to his Truth Social platform, the former president and Republican nominee cited unnamed polls that found he beat his Democratic opponent and that her invitation to debate him again before November’s election indicates that she thinks she lost.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I want a rematch,’” Trump wrote. “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.”
Read the full post, below:
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. She and Crooked Joe have destroyed our Country, with millions of criminals and mentally deranged people pouring into the USA, totally unchecked and unvetted, and with Inflation bankrupting our Middle Class. Everyone knows this, and all of the other problems caused by Kamala and Joe – It was discussed in great detail during the First Debate with Joe, and the Second Debate with Comrade Harris. She was a no-show at the Fox Debate, and refused to do NBC & CBS. KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!
Trump’s assertions that he “won” the debate against Harris are contrary to widespread media analysis and polling from CNN, MSNBC, Politico and even Fox News. The New York Times reported Thursday that Republican aides and advisers viewed Trump’s debate performance as “suboptimal” — a point further hammered home by the former president’s “aggressive spinning on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.”
Even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who dropped out of the race as an independent candidate and endorsed Trump before being named to his transition team, should he win the presidency — said Harris beat Trump.
“Vice President Harris clearly won the debate in terms of her delivery, her polish, her organization and her preparation,” Kennedy said Wednesday on Fox News. He added that Trump “wins” on substance, but “he didn’t tell that story.”
Trump’s announcement that he once and for all will not agree to a second debate with Harris came after two days of indicating he was prepared to bow out, posting Wednesday, “Why would I do a rematch?” while also sharing screenshots of unscientific social media snap polls from Newsmax, CSPAN and Daily Caller showing him ahead.
Still, Harris challenged Trump to agree to the previously proposed Oct. 1 debate, which would mark the Republican nominee’s third (following his impactful row with President Joe Biden in June) and the Democrat’s second.
“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump,” Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement on Tuesday. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
The Harris-Trump debate on Tuesday bested the former president’s matchup with Biden in the ratings, as well, up 31% with 67.1 million total viewers.
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