Donald Trump has announced that he will not participate in a third debate with Kamala Harris, following their recent presidential debate in Philadelphia, which was hosted by ABC News. Trump has already been involved in two presidential debates this year—one against Joe Biden, which effectively ended Biden’s campaign, and another with Harris last month. However, it seems there won’t be any more debates for the season.
Donald Trump Jr. has stepped in to defend his father’s decision, explaining why the former president won’t be taking on Harris for a rematch. In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Trump Jr. explained his father’s stance. According to HuffPost, he said, “I don’t think he can have a chance at getting a fair debate. I don’t think there are moderators out there that would do that. I think there are probably Fox moderators that are so worried about even—they’re trying to appease the left that they’d actually, maybe, even lean that way.”
As reported by BBC, When Collins pressed further about why his father won’t engage in another debate, Trump Jr. pointed to the debate environment, saying it wasn’t favorable for his father. He added, “Well, he offered to do the Fox debate, just so we’re clear. My father, weeks ago, said, ‘I’ll do a Fox debate, too.’ Kamala Harris turned that down because she can only go in—as she can only do an interview with a sidekick like Tim Walz on her side—she can only do it when she knows she’s going to have that upper hand.”
Following the Philadelphia debate, Trump criticized the moderators from ABC News, calling the debate “unfair” and labeling it a “three-on-one” scenario. On his Truth Social platform, he wrote, “In the world of boxing or UFC, when a fighter gets beaten or knocked out, they get up and scream, ‘I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!’ Well, it’s no different with a debate. She was beaten badly last night. Every poll has us WINNING.”
In a campaign rally in Arizona, Trump reiterated his stance, telling reporters, “We just don’t think it’s necessary. We think we’ve discussed everything, and I don’t think they want it either.” He added on social media, “I beat Biden, I then beat her, and I’m not looking to do it again, too far down the line. Votes are already cast—and I’m leading BIG in the Polls.”
