Watch: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shake hands at 9/11 memorial
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump shook hands at the 9/11 memorial service at Ground Zero.
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris a second time, criticizing Harris and President Joe Biden after he found himself on the defensive during this week’s showdown.
“KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform, referencing his Tuesday debate with Harris and his June 27 faceoff with Biden.
Democrats quickly criticized Trump as a coward, saying he is reeling from polls showing that Harris won Tuesday’s debate handily. A CNN/SSRS poll published Wednesday found that debate watchers 63% to 37% said Harris performed better on stage during the contest in Philadelphia.
Citing three national polls and one swing-state poll, ABC News/538 reported that “57 percent of debate watchers nationally said Harris turned in the better performance; only 34 percent said Trump did.”
In his Truth Social post, Trump referenced other polls claiming he won the faceoff with Harris, but he appeared to be referring to online surveys with self-selected respondents.
The vice president at a campaign stop in North Carolina reacted to Trump’s decision, telling attendees “we owe it to the voters to have another debate.” Harris’ campaign called for another Trump-Harris debate just minutes after the Tuesday debate ended.
Trump demurred about whether he’d participate in another debate before making his announcement Thursday.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, “I WANT A REMATCH,” Trump said.
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/12/donald-trump-kamala-harris-debate/75195223007/
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Publish date : 2024-09-12 08:34:00
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