The former occupant of the Oval Office, Donald Trump, pronounced on a recent Thursday that he will not engage in another public discourse with Vice President Kamala Harris. This came in response to a hint by Harris, showing her intent for a second round of verbal duel. This insinuation by Harris comes after what many perceive as a preferential treatment during their initial debate forum, orchestrated by ABC News earlier in the week. Trump voiced his decision on the social media platform, Truth Social, asserting that Harris, alongside President Biden, played a significant role in ushering in the nation’s current crisis.
According to Trump, the present administration allowed an unchecked influx of both lawbreakers and individuals facing mental health struggles into the American landscape. He associated this with the further degeneration of the nation’s Middle Class, implicating rising inflation and economic instability. These broad range of issues, he argues, had been dissected at length during his previous debates with both Biden and Harris.
It was, additionally, noted that Harris did not partake in the Fox Debate and showed no willingness to feature in those facilitated by NBC & CBS. In an hour’s time following Trump’s statement on Truth Social, Harris responded with a post, asking for a second debate in the interest of the voting populace.
On Tuesday, Harris and Trump traded remarks on a plethora of topics including societal values such as abortion, economic stability, national safety, and border control. This occurred despite Trump insinuating that the early poll results, following their first debate, were skewed in favor of Harris.
One cannot ignore the vehement reproach targeted at the debate moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis. Experts from the political right have criticized them for taking Trump to task on his claims, while not employing similar measures against Harris. In the aftermath of the first ABC-hosted discourse, the Harris camp sent out an official statement expressing their desire for a rematch in October.
Jen O’Malley, taking the reins of Harris’s campaign as the chairwoman, remarked that the voters witnessed first-hand the stark contrast in their election choices during their original encounter. The decision lies between forging ahead with Harris or reverting with Trump. This, in her opinion, warranted an encore debate before election day in October.
Echoing this sentiment, Vice President Harris signaled her readiness for round two. However, in a twist of events on Fox News, Trump alleged that Harris was seeking a rematch owing to her losing the first.
Responding to Sean Hannity’s query concerning his willingness to go another round, Trump suggested he could consider it but only if aired on a ‘fair network’. He further unveiled to reporters his openness to having either Fox or NBC play host to the upcoming discourse.
Despite this, Trump later declared his disinterest to engage in any more debates before the upcoming November elections. Back in June, the very first general election debate for 2024 held by CNN included Trump and President Biden. Biden’s stumbling showcase led to doubt amongst his allies, subsequently resulting in his stepping down.
Following the change in the command chain of the Democratic Party and Harris’s rise to prominence, Trump proposed for three debates with Harris. These include the original ABC one, another hosted by Fox News on September 4 and the final one by NBC News on September 25.
The date originally slated for the Fox News debate was eventually utilized for a town hall which featured Trump and Hannity. Harris’s campaign suggested that they would only contemplate a second debate in October with Trump on the condition that he appeared for the first ABC one.
There were also suggestions by Harris’s team that they would only affirm their participation at the conclusion of the ABC debate. In the event that another showdown between Trump and Harris doesn’t take place, only the Vice Presidential debate would remain to be conducted.
This debate will pit Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance (R-OH), the chosen running mates of Harris and Trump respectively. It’s set to be facilitated by CBS News on October 1. Harris’s team, however, turned down Vance’s proposal for a second Vice Presidential debate to be hosted by CNN.