Vice President Kamala Harris accepted CNN’s invitation to a presidential debate on October 23, just days before the November election.
Hours later, Donald Trump told his supporters that he would not participate, saying it was “too late”.
The two faced off in a previous debate in Philadelphia on September 10.
CNN had said that the October debate would follow the same pattern as the June one with President Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate at the time, Trump widely seen as the winner.
In a statement Saturday, Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Americans “deserve another chance” to see Harris debate Trump before the November election.
“It would be unprecedented in modern history to have just one national election debate,” he said. “The debates provide a unique opportunity for voters to see the candidates come together and explore their competing visions of America.”
On X, previously on Twitter, Harris said he “gladly” accepted the invitation to the debate and hoped Trump would also participate.
After the September 10th debate, Trump said there would be no more debates.
Speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday, he said he won that previous debate and said it was “too late” in the second one.
“The voting has started,” he said, accusing Harris of wanting another round of sparring “because he’s losing badly.”
At Trump’s rally, some voters told the BBC they hoped there would be a debate – but only under certain conditions.
“If you are not afraid, why not be afraid? Both have done good [at the last debate],” said Trump supporter Steve Castellano, adding that he thinks the president is “a little biased”.
“They should also debate the network of Trump’s choice,” he added. “What I would really love is a good podcaster [to moderate]. I would really love Joe Rogan to do it. ”
Harris narrowly holds Trump’s lead in national polls.
Polls released immediately after the Sept. 10 debate found that most viewers thought Harris was the better player.
Since then, most national polls suggest that Harris has made small gains with voters.
The two candidates exchanged swipes and jabs in a previous debate, with Trump calling Harris a “left-wing libertarian” and a Marxist who was destroying America.
Harris, in turn, criticized Trump, downplayed the size of his crowds and cited his Republican opponents.
CBS, which is the BBC’s news partner in the US, has also invited both presidential candidates to participate in the October debate in Arizona.
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