Kamala Harris has accepted CNN's invitation to have a second presidential debate against Donald Trump next month. However, Trump said in remarks on Saturday that it was “too late” to have another debate against the vice president.
On Saturday, CNN reported that Harris had agreed to the debate scheduled for October 23, just weeks before Election Day, and the vice president added on social media that she would “gladly accept a second presidential debate” and hoped Trump would participate.
“Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share the stage with Donald Trump,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.”
However, Trump told attendees at a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday that he learned of the debate invitation when his plane landed that day, and that he likely would not accept the offer.
“The problem with the second debate is that it’s too late. The voting has already started,” Trump said. She had the opportunity to do it with Fox; you know, Fox invited us, and she waited and waited, [Harris’ campaign] She refused. But now she wants to do a debate with CNN before the election because she is losing badly.
The former president also expressed concern about returning to CNN. “I actually did two: one with Crooked Joe Biden at CNN, and one with Kamala on ABC. I thought CNN was very fair. Joe got kicked out of the race — it was a coup, by the way — but Joe got kicked out of the race. And [CNN] “I have been widely criticized by the left-wing extremists for all this justice,” Trump added. “In other words, they will never be fair again.”
Trump then praised his performance in his only debate against Harris, saying he did a “great job” despite it being “three against one,” referring to the moderators.
“Both Vice President Harris and former President Trump have been invited to debate on CNN this fall because we believe the American people would benefit from a second debate between the two candidates for president of the United States,” CNN said in a statement Saturday. “We look forward to hearing from both campaigns so that the American public can hear more from these candidates as they make their final decision.”
