On Tuesday night in Philadelphia, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris faced off in a highly anticipated presidential debate. Harris performed better than expected, presenting a more composed demeanor compared to her usual style, while Trump adopted a more aggressive approach than in his previous June debate with President Joe Biden in Atlanta.
After the debate, Harris took to X (formerly Twitter) to push for a second showdown, but Trump quickly shut down the idea, stating emphatically, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
Trump reiterated many of the same criticisms of Harris and Biden that he voiced during the debate, but he also expressed frustration with how the previous two debates were handled, accusing Harris’s campaign of avoiding other networks like Fox, NBC, and CBS. “She was a no-show at the Fox Debate and refused to do NBC & CBS,” Trump pointed out.
Despite stepping into what many viewed as an unfavorable setting during his debate at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters with Biden, Trump’s performance seemingly contributed to the Democrats’ decision to abandon Biden’s reelection campaign altogether.
ABC’s handling of the Tuesday debate drew significant criticism, with moderator David Muir accused of overstepping his role by engaging with Trump in a way that many saw as defending Harris.
Will there be another debate? Trump may want to push for one hosted by Fox News, a network that would likely place Harris under intense scrutiny. If Trump believes that Harris truly doesn’t want another debate, he should begin pressing the issue now.
Polling data from FiveThirtyEight shows Harris leading in the election predictions, winning 59 out of 100 simulations, while a Reuters poll gives her a 47% chance of winning, with 53% of voters familiar with the debate favoring her.
If Harris genuinely wants another debate, as she posted on X, Trump should do everything possible to make it happen, even if the circumstances aren’t ideal. Trump has been dealing with media bias for almost a decade now, so this is nothing new. If he’s serious about proving he’s the better candidate, he’ll need to rise to the challenge.
