Donald Trump said that it is “just too late” for another debate with Kamala Harris, after the vice president said earlier today that she has accepted CNN‘s proposal for an Oct. 23 event.
“Voting has already started,” Trump said at a rally this afternoon. “… Now she wants to do a debate right before the election with CNN because she’s losing badly.”
Trump has said that there will be no more debates following the ABC News event last week. The former president has previously said that he would accept a Fox News sponsored event. Asked about Harris’ acceptance of the CNN offer, Trump’s campaign spokesman referred to the former previous comment on Truth Social, in which he had rejected another one.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’ campaign chair, said in a statement, “The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots. It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate. Debates offer a unique chance for voters to see the candidates side by side and take stock of their competing visions for America.”
She added, “Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump, and she has accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23. Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate. It is the same format and setup as the CNN debate he attended and said he won in June, when he praised CNN’s moderators, rules and ratings.”
Trump and President Joe Biden debated in June, in a disastrous performance by the president that led to him dropping out of the race almost a month later.
There has been at least one presidential debate each cycle since 1976. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had just one debate in 1980.
