Kamala Harris Issues Challenge to Donald Trump After Accepting CNN Debate

Vice President Kamala Harris accepted CNN’s invitation for a second debate with former President Donald Trump on Saturday, issuing a challenge for him to do the same.
The second debate, pending agreement from Trump, the GOP’s nominee, would be scheduled for October 23, just under two weeks before the presidential election on November 5.
In an X, formerly Twitter, post, Harris, the Democratic nominee, wrote that she “will gladly accept” the invitation, adding, “I hope @realDonaldTrump will join me.” Harris’ campaign also shared the X post to Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform. CNN said in a statement that Harris and Trump received invitations to participate.
The proposed debate would share similar rules and procedures as the first presidential debate of this election cycle between Trump and President Joe Biden in late June, which was also hosted by CNN. Less than a month after that debate, on July 21, Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris. Trump was widely seen as having outperformed Biden in that debate.
Harris’ campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillion said in a statement, “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate. It is the same format and setup as the CNN debate he attended and said he won in June, when he praised CNN’s moderators, rules, and ratings.”
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment via email on Saturday.
On September 10, Harris and Trump faced off in their first televised presidential debate, hosted by ABC News. Most post-debate polls showed Harris either slightly increasing or maintaining a narrow lead over Trump.
“It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate,” O’Malley Dillon wrote in the statement. “Debates offer a unique chance for voters to see the candidates side by side and take stock of their competing visions for America.”
At a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday afternoon, Trump said, “I’ve already done two [debates],” adding that it would be “good entertainment value,” but “it’s just too late. Voting has already started. She’s had her chance to do it with Fox [News].”
On Friday, early in-person voting opened in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia. More states will start their early voting processes in mid-October. During the 2020 election, Trump participated in the final presidential debate with Biden on October 22, after early voting had started in several states. In 2016, he debated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on October 19.
Meanwhile, following the September debate, Harris requested a second matchup with Trump, which he rejected. In a Truth Social post on September 12, he accused Harris of calling for a second debate because he “won” the first one, writing, “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, “I WANT A REMATCH.” Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate.”
He ended his post writing, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
Earlier this week, statistician Nate Silver advised Harris to make Trump accept a second debate by Monday or withdraw the offer, writing on X, “With her move up in the polls, Harris should stop giving Trump a free option for another debate.”
The presidential election is extremely close, with razor-thin margins separating the nominees in several key swing states. While Harris appears to be leading in the popular vote, the race will be decided by the Electoral College. The candidate who reaches 270 electoral votes wins, regardless of the popular vote.
Update 9/21/24, 3:17 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 9/21/24, 3:07 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include Trump’s comments in North Carolina.
Update 9/21/24, 1:32 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.