Former president Donald Trump said that there will not be a second debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming that he won a debate held earlier this week that was widely seen as a Harris victory.
Trump lashed out against Harris and President Joe Biden in a post on Truth.Social, veering into personal attacks while also accusing them of ramping up inflation and destabilizing the economy.
Trump claimed he had won a debate with Harris held on late-Tuesday, said Harris had not shown up for a debate on Fox News, and had refused to hold a debate on NBC and CBS. He said that there would be no further debates with the Democratic candidate.
Harris was widely seen pulling ahead of Trump in a fiery debate hosted by ABC News earlier this week, where analysts said she riled up the former president over several key topics, including abortion and immigration, which then drew a slew of falsehoods from Trump.
Harris’ campaign had immediately called for a second debate with Trump after the conclusion of Tuesday’s debate. Trump, on the other hand, claimed he had won the debate, and said it had been “rigged” against him.
Betting market PredictIt showed Harris widening her lead over Trump after the debate, while the Republican candidate’s odds fell sharply. The same platform had shown Trump well ahead of President Biden after a seemingly disastrous performance by Biden in a June debate, which eventually led to his pulling out of the race.
Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (NASDAQ:DJT)- which some analysts say reflect bets on the former president’s odds for a second term- plummeted after Tuesday’s debate, while a recent Reuters-Ipsos poll showed Harris’ approval rose further after Tuesday’s performance.
But Tuesday’s debate still pushed expectations for a tight 2024 election, with less than two months left to the ballot.
Vice Presidential candidates Tim Walz and J.D. Vance are set to hold a debate in early-October.
