Donald Trump, who tried to push Kamala Harris into debating him by publicly accepting multiple invitations while her campaign insisted on first negotiating the terms, is now casting doubt on whether he will agree to another face-to-face meeting with his Democratic opponent.
Within moments of leaving the debate stage on Tuesday night with a performance that some Republicans were quick to pan, Trump began dismissing the idea he would participate in another debate — a reversal from his previous talking point that he was willing to do several debates and it was Harris who was hiding.
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Trump’s campaign said before the debate that he had already accepted debate invitations from Fox News and NBC News, and that Harris had not. But in post-debate interviews, Trump was noncommittal. He claimed victory on Truth Social, saying, “Why would I do a Rematch?”
“When you win the debate, I don’t know that I want to do another debate,” the former president told Fox News on Wednesday morning.
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Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said he would participate in debates with NBC News or Fox News.
Trump viewed his first debate of the season against Joe Biden as a resounding success — not only did Republicans say he demonstrated restraint, but Biden's performance ultimately led to him stepping aside. Fresh off the perceived win, pushing Harris into several debates seemed like a strategic goal for Trump, and Harris rebuffed a request for one on Fox News in early September.
But Tuesday night's debate did not go like the earlier faceoff.
“She was exquisitely well prepared. She laid traps and he chased every rabbit down every hole instead of talking about the things that he should have been talking about," former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump ally turned critic, said in an interview with ABC News after the debate.
Trump's allies who were more defensive of his performance dismissed criticism that he had a bad debate by blaming the moderators. One said that the highlight of the evening was the final minute, when he delivered a closing statement. Trump told reporters on Tuesday night that he might consider another if it were run by a “fair” network.
Harris has not accepted a second debate with Trump, but her campaign appeared more open on Wednesday.
"That was fun," Brian Fallon, a top spokesperson, wrote on X. "Let’s do it again in October."
Failure by the candidates to meet for more than one debate would defy modern historical precedent.
Trump’s campaign had warned in a pre-debate call that Tuesday’s showdown might be the “the one and only debate” that Trump and Harris took part in, placing the onus on Harris.
Now Trump’s campaign said he is waiting to make a final decision.
“We accepted Fox, they rejected it. We accepted ABC, they waffled on the rules and finally agreed. We accepted Sept. 25 NBC and they rejected,” Trump senior advisor Brian Hughes said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday. “So President Trump said he will determine it later.” (A spokesperson for NBC News did not respond when asked if the invitation from the network still stood and who has accepted.)
Hughes said Harris had “missed the moment” and still not accounted for her record in the White House, and said this was the reason for any enthusiasm by her team for a rematch.
“But the most important indication here is that Harris failed to explain why she hasn’t already done the things she claims she cares about. A failed record of nearly 4 years is on view, and she failed to lie her way out of owning it,” Hughes said. “She missed the moment and lost, so it’s no wonder her team is scrambling to try a do over.”
Eric Levine, a New York-based Republican fundraiser, said Trump needed to return to the debate stage if only to squeeze out better answers from his opponent after the moderators on Tuesday failed to do so.
“He missed opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to eviscerate her,” said Levine.
Still, Levine said he appreciated the challenge awaiting Trump if they face off again. “She’s like a hologram. Getting substance from her is like trying to nail jello to a wall,” he added.
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