WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, announced on Thursday that he will not participate in another presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
In a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump claimed that he won the debate hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and accused Harris of refusing to accept debate invitations from Fox News, NBC News and CBS News.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Harris said on Thursday that “we owe it to the voters to have another debate”.
Harris’ campaign also claimed victory in the first debate between the two. “Vice President Harris commanded the stage on every single issue that matters to the American people,” according to a statement released earlier.
A CNN poll of debate watchers showed 63 per cent agreed that Harris turned in a better performance onstage in Philadelphia.
According to Fox News, 12 voters on a panel thought Harris won the debate, while five believed Trump won. Many said that Trump did not know how to attack his new opponent in the presidential race.
A New York Times article noted that after the debate, many Democratic strategists and officials cheered Harris’ performance, while Republicans complained about the “tenor of the questions” from the moderators and acknowledged Trump’s “missed opportunities” to unleash focused attack lines.
“Trump did little to reassure voters that he was up to the job and at times seemed very angry and upset,” Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.
Christopher Galdieri, a political science professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua: “Harris started off a bit nervous but found her sea legs. She’s arguing that Trump represents the past and that this election is a chance to turn the page.”
The debate occurred on short notice, less than two months after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous debate performance and Harris announced her intention to run for president. Harris formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for presidential candidate in late August.
During the one-hour-and-forty-minute debate on Tuesday, both candidates often lacked specific details when explaining their policy positions but were relentless in attacking each other, with each candidate accusing the other of lying multiple times.
The knock-down, drag-out slugfest occurred at a time when the two candidates are running neck-in-neck in the polls.
According to polling data compiled by Real Clear Politics, as of Thursday, the approval ratings for the two candidates were tied in Pennsylvania, where the debate was held. In Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nevada, Harris led Trump by 1.8, 0.9, and 0.6 percentage points, respectively. In Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia, Trump led by 1.6, 0.1, and 0.3 percentage points, respectively. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
