Former President Donald Trump has announced that he will no longer participate in debates against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump stated that he felt there was no need for further debates after already participating in two against Harris and President Joe Biden, in which he believed he performed well. Trump also claimed that multiple polls indicated he had won the debates against Harris and Biden. The decision to forego further debates came after a confidential memorandum from the Trump campaign revealed that their internal polling showed Trump gaining two percentage points among likely voters.
The Trump campaign had previously urged the Harris camp to accept Trump’s offer for a debate on September 25 hosted by NBC News. However, Harris’ team countered by proposing a debate to be held in October, leading to no agreement on a debate date. Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the treatment he received during his previous debates, particularly criticizing ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for allegedly letting Harris evade questions and focusing on false claims made by Trump. Despite his disappointment, Trump was determined to not participate in any more debates against Harris.
Trump’s initial debate proposal included three debates with Harris, one hosted by Fox News, one by ABC News, and one by NBC News. When the Democratic campaign declined the Fox News debate, Trump participated in a town hall with Sean Hannity instead. Trump expressed his frustration with Harris for not participating in the Fox debate and refusing to participate in debates hosted by NBC and CBS. He made it clear that there would be no third debate between him and Harris, ending any further discussion on the matter.
While Trump has decided to step away from debates, his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, is scheduled to participate in a debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on October 1 hosted by CBS News. Trump offered a few words of advice to Vance by encouraging him to “just be yourself” and predicting that he would perform excellently during the upcoming debate. Despite Trump’s exit from the debate stage, his running mate is expected to represent their campaign in the upcoming debate.
Overall, Trump’s decision to abandon further debates against Vice President Kamala Harris comes after his dissatisfaction with the handling of previous debates and lack of agreement on a future debate date. Despite his belief that he performed well in the debates he participated in, Trump has chosen to move on from the debate stage and focus on other aspects of the campaign. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, is set to represent their campaign in an upcoming debate, with Trump expressing confidence in Vance’s ability to perform effectively.
