Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that he will not participate in another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, following their recent clash on ABC News. The debate, which took place on Tuesday, was marked by heated exchanges, with Trump and Harris clashing on several key issues.
Just The News reported that Trump declared his victory based on polling data and criticized both Harris and President Joe Biden for their administration’s handling of various issues.
The former president made the announcement in a detailed post on TRUTH Social, where he claimed he had no desire to engage in further debates with Harris.
Trump pointed to polling numbers that he said clearly indicated his victory in the debate. The decision came after a debate in which he and Harris exchanged barbs on issues ranging from the economy to border security.
Tuesday’s debate aired on ABC News and quickly escalated into a contentious affair. Trump and Harris sparred over numerous topics, including the Biden administration’s handling of middle-class issues and the ongoing situation at the U.S. southern border.
Trump not only clashed with Harris but also had multiple disputes with the debate moderators, making for an especially fiery evening.
His criticisms of the Biden administration’s policies on the middle class and immigration remained front and center throughout the debate.
Following the debate, Trump doubled down on his claims of success, referring to polling data that he said supported his performance.
"Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night," Trump said, adding that Harris had immediately called for a second debate.
In his post on TRUTH Social, Trump dismissed the idea of facing Harris again. He suggested that Harris should focus on her role as Vice President rather than seeking a rematch. "KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD," Trump wrote.
According to Trump, Harris had pushed for another debate following the Tuesday night clash. He likened her request to that of a boxer seeking redemption after a loss, saying, "When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, 'I WANT A REMATCH.'"
However, Trump made it clear that he had no interest in a second debate, declaring, "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!"
His statement left little room for ambiguity, signaling the end of any further one-on-one encounters with Harris in the near future.
Throughout his post-debate comments, Trump zeroed in on his critiques of both Harris and President Joe Biden. He argued that their policies had done significant harm to the middle class, a group that he claimed to champion during his time in office.
Trump also took aim at the Biden administration’s handling of immigration, particularly the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. During the debate, he repeatedly linked Harris to the administration’s approach to border security, which he argued had been ineffective.
While Trump used the debate as an opportunity to position himself as a defender of the middle class and stricter border policies, Harris countered with her defense of the administration’s actions, leading to the heated exchanges that defined the evening.
One of the central points in Trump’s argument for ending the debates was his assertion that polling data clearly showed him as the winner of the Tuesday night event. Although Trump did not provide specific numbers in his post, he made it clear that he believed the public’s reaction to the debate was in his favor.
"Harris lost," Trump claimed, pointing to what he described as a widespread consensus that he had outperformed the Vice President. He positioned himself as the clear victor and used this argument to justify his refusal to debate again.
In his lengthy post on TRUTH Social, Trump repeatedly returned to the idea that Harris and the Democrats were in disarray, seeking to portray his performance in the debate as a major victory. He framed Harris’ request for another debate as a sign of desperation and claimed that his initial victory had been decisive.
The Tuesday debate represented the latest chapter in the ongoing political rivalry between Trump and Harris, who have been vocal critics of one another throughout their respective political careers. With Trump’s latest statement, it appears that the possibility of future debates between the two has been firmly shut down.
