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Harris campaign seeks second debate, Trump says he’s “less likely” to debate Harris again
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Harris campaign seeks second debate, Trump says he’s “less likely” to debate Harris again

Voters react to presidential debate


Voters react to Harris-Trump presidential debate

03:35

Washington — Kamala Harris’ campaign wasted little time after the first debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, after which he called for another showdown. Trump, however, indicated he is not enthusiastic about a rematch.

“Under the bright lights, the American people were shown the choice they face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or moving backward with Trump,” Harris campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement Tuesday night. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”

Trump alleged on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning that the debate, hosted by ABC News, was “rigged” against him.

He defended his performance against Harris, saying he would be “less inclined” to debate her a second time “because we had a great night.”

“They lost badly, the first thing they did was ask for a debate,” Trump said. “They always ask for a rematch.”

Whether the two campaigns will ultimately agree to a new debate remains to be seen. The former president said after the debate Tuesday night that he would “think about it.”

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are shown on screen in the spin room during the second presidential debate
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are seen on screen in the spin room during the second presidential debate on September 10, 2024.

Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images


Tuesday night’s debate followed weeks of back-and-forth over whether the matchup would happen at all. President Biden and the former president had agreed in May to participate in two presidential debates, one hosted by CNN in June and another hosted by ABC in September. But the second debate was thrown into doubt after Biden dropped out of the race.

Before Tuesday night, Trump had repeatedly indicated he would not participate in the debate, criticizing ABC and suggesting additional debates on Fox and NBC News. Before the debate, Harris had only agreed to the ABC News matchup.

contributed to this report.