Trump "less inclined" to do another debate with Harris
Kamala Harris' campaign wasted no time after the first debate between her and former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, immediately calling for a second showdown, although Trump seemed unenthusiastic about a rematch.
"Under the bright lights, the American people saw the choice they'll face this fall: moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backward with Trump," Harris' campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillon, said in a statement Tuesday night. "They saw that tonight, and they should see it again in an October debate. Vice President Harris is ready. Is Donald Trump?"
Appearing on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday morning, Trump claimed the ABC News-hosted debate was "rigged" against him. He defended his performance, stating he’d be "less inclined" to debate Harris a second time because "we had a great night."
"They lost badly, and the first thing they did was ask for a rematch," Trump said. "They always do that."
It's still unclear whether the two campaigns will agree to a second debate. After Tuesday's debate, Trump said he'd "think about it."
The debate came after weeks of uncertainty over whether it would even happen. President Biden and Trump had initially agreed in May to two debates—one on CNN in June and another on ABC in September. However, with Biden exiting the race, the second debate was in doubt.
Before Tuesday, Trump had hinted multiple times that he might not participate, criticizing ABC while proposing additional debates on Fox and NBC. Harris had only committed to the ABC News debate heading into Tuesday night.