Trump Declines Second TV Debate with Kamala Harris

September 12, 2024
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the first debate - Doug Mills

It is official that Donald Trump will not face Kamala Harris again prior to the presidential election.

The former US president said he would not appear on stage with Ms Harris again, suggesting that she should spend the coming months focused on illegal migration and inflation instead.

Trump and Ms Harris debated for the first time on Tuesday in Philadelphia, where she was widely considered to have won the night.

Her campaign immediately called for a second debate to be held before polling day, but Trump suggested afterwards he would not be willing to participate again.

Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, he confirmed the decision and compared Ms Harris to a boxer calling for a rematch after losing a fight.

“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH,’” he said.

“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.

“KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”

Speaking at a rally in North Carolina on Thursday, Ms Harris said the two candidates “owe it to the voters” to debate again.

”Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate,” she told supporters. 

“And I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate, because this election and what is at stake could not be more important.”

Trump’s decision comes after he said he would debate Joe Biden as many times as possible before their head-to-head in June.

Mr Biden’s disastrous performance ultimately led to his resignation from the presidential race, and a second debate was organised between Trump and Ms Harris on ABC News.

Some Republicans called for Trump to debate Ms Harris again after his attack lines were derailed by his lengthy asides on migration.

After Ms Harris claimed that supporters at his rallies were “bored”, Trump falsely claimed that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating the pets of local residents.

“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats,” he said.

“They’re eating – they are eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Polls taken after the debate showed most American voters believe that Ms Harris won.


Dennis Lennox, a veteran Republican strategist, welcomed the decision and told The Telegraph that a second debate could have worsened his polling numbers with swing state voters.

“There was too much risk. Another debate would only serve to help Ms Harris,” he said.

“With early voting starting, Mr Trump and the former president’s allies need to focus on turning out the vote and winning Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

“Those are the only states that battle at this point in the campaign. This election will be won or lost by early October.”