Donald Trump on Saturday declined to participate in a second debate against Kamala Harris before the November 5 election, citing that it was 'too late' due to early voting already in progress in some states. Earlier in the day, Harris's campaign confirmed her acceptance of an invitation from broadcaster CNN to participate in a debate scheduled for October 23. This would have marked the candidates' second debate, following their initial encounter on September 10, which most analysts deemed a victory for Harris.
'The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots,' stated Jen O'Malley Dillon, chair of Harris's campaign. 'I hope (Trump) will join me,' Harris posted on X.
Trump, during a campaign rally in North Carolina, a key battleground state, expressed his willingness to debate, describing it as 'good entertainment value.' However, he noted that the commencement of early voting in certain states had rendered the idea impractical. 'It's just too late, voting has already started,' he remarked. He further commented, addressing a large and enthusiastic crowd, that while CNN had been 'very fair' during his debate with President Joe Biden in June, he doubted their fairness for a second time.
Vice-President Harris took the top spot on the Democratic ticket after Biden, aged 81, had a disastrous performance against Trump. Biden's withdrawal from the race positioned Trump, 78, as the oldest-ever presidential nominee, facing off against the younger Harris, 59. Saturday's announcement coincided with the start of early voting in some states, indicating a tightly contested race. The outcome is anticipated to depend on seven battleground states, including North Carolina.
Trump addressed the crowd in Wilmington, a port city, from behind bulletproof glass, following a second apparent assassination attempt. A gunman was apprehended on his golf course in Florida last Sunday, with security agents thwarting any harm to the former president. In July, Trump was struck on the ear by a bullet at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a gunman fired from a nearby rooftop. The US Secret Service, responsible for protecting the candidate, admitted 'deficiencies' and 'complacency' in the security breach.
Trump won North Carolina in the 2020 election against Biden. However, Harris aims to flip the southeastern state for Democrats, leveraging her support from African Americans and young voters. Trump's speech on Saturday reiterated his hardline anti-immigrant stance, falsely asserting that migrants were 'attacking villages and cities all throughout the Midwest.' He also promised the crowd that the United States would 'reach Mars before the end of my term.'
The former president faced a new challenge in North Carolina following a bombshell report revealing that Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor endorsed by Trump, had referred to himself as a 'Black Nazi' and made other inflammatory comments on a porn website message board over a decade ago. Robinson has dismissed the CNN report as 'salacious tabloid lies.' The presidential race remains closely contested, with every vote expected to be crucial in the election, whose result Trump has once again refused to accept if he loses. Trump faces criminal charges for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 result, which led to his supporters storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
