KAMALA Harris has challenged Donald Trump to a second debate before the United States presidential election, saying she “will gladly accept” to go head-to-head again against the former president.
In a statement on Saturday, Harris’s campaign spokesperson Jen O’Malley said the US vice president had accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23.
“We look forward to Vice President Harris again having the opportunity in the CNN debate to show her command of the issues and why it’s time to turn the page on Donald Trump and charge a new way forward for America,” O’Malley said.
More than 67 million people tuned in to the first Harris-Trump showdown on September 10, which saw the two candidates trade barbs on immigration, foreign policy, and other issues.
Most observers crowned Harris the winner of that debate, as she repeatedly appeared to rattle Trump over the course of the evening.
Trump had posted on his Truth Social media platform earlier this month that, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
Trump echoed that at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday, saying it was “too late” to hold another showdown with Harris.
“The problem with another debate is that it’s just too late, voting has already started,” he said, as reported by US news outlets.
While election day is November 5, early voting began this week in some US states.
In 2020, the final presidential debate ahead of the election was on October 22. Four years earlier, when Trump went up against Democrat Hillary Clinton, the third and final presidential debate was on October 19.
CNN has said the proposed October 23 debate would mirror the format of one held in June between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
