No More Debates with Kamala Harris – Reuters

Former President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will not take part in another presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the forthcoming election on November 5. His decision follows several polls indicating that Harris performed better in their recent debate.

Trump made his announcement on the social media platform Truth Social, declaring, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” He had previously debated President Joe Biden in June before facing Harris on Tuesday.

While Trump claimed he had a strong performance against Harris, various Republican donors and advisors expressed their belief that Harris had the upper hand in the debate. They pointed to Trump’s struggle to remain on message as a key factor in their assessment.

The debate garnered a significant viewership of 67.1 million, according to Nielsen data.

Harris, addressing supporters at a rally shortly after Trump’s statement, emphasized, “I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate.”

Although Trump asserted that polls favored him, multiple surveys indicated a different sentiment among respondents. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that among those who followed the debate, 53% felt Harris emerged victorious, while only 24% thought Trump won.

The same poll found that 54% of registered voters believed one debate was sufficient, while 46% expressed a desire for an additional debate. A CNN flash poll conducted post-debate similarly indicated that a majority of those who watched felt Harris outperformed Trump, with YouGov reporting that 54% of respondents viewed her as the winner, compared to 31% for Trump.