Trump Announces He Won't Join Another Debate with Kamala Harris.
Washington: On Thursday, Republican nominee Donald Trump announced that he will not participate in another debate with Kamala Harris ahead of the Nov. 5 election. This decision follows recent polls suggesting that Harris performed better in their debate earlier this week.
"THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. He had previously debated President Joe Biden in June before facing Harris on Tuesday.
Despite Trump's claims of a strong performance, six Republican donors and three of his advisers told Reuters that they believed Harris won the debate, largely due to Trump's difficulty staying on topic.
The debate attracted 67.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen data.
In response, Harris, addressing a rally shortly after Trump's announcement, argued, "I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate."
While Trump asserted that polls showed him as the winner, various surveys indicated that Harris was perceived as having performed better. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday revealed that 53% of voters who were aware of the debate thought Harris won, compared to 24% who favored Trump.
Further, a CNN flash poll and YouGov survey showed that a majority of viewers thought Harris outperformed Trump. However, the Reuters/Ipsos poll also indicated that 54% of registered voters felt one debate was sufficient, while 46% wanted an additional debate.