This week’s presidential debate between former United States President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the most watched events of the election season: The broadcast attracted over 67 million viewers.
But on Thursday, Trump put the kibosh on the prospect of an encore, posting on the Truth Social platform: “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
Trump had previously faced off against President Joe Biden on June 27, but concerns surged over the 81-year-old’s age after the Democratic incumbent’s stumbling performance. Less than a month later, Biden dropped out of the race and was swiftly replaced by Harris.
A second debate had been planned for September 10, and despite the changing dynamics of the race, both Harris and Trump agreed to continue with the scheduled event, which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
But after the debate, pundits largely gave the edge to Harris, comparing her more polished performance with Trump’s rambling one.
“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, the head of the Harris campaign, said at the time.
Harris’s camp quickly challenged Trump to a follow-up debate, seeking to build on the momentum. Trump, however, rejected the possibility in Thursday’s Truth Social post. He also sought to reframe the aftermath of the debate in his favour.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH,'” he wrote.
Trump articulated a similar sentiment in the minutes after the debate itself. Speaking to reporters, the Republican candidate argued the challenge only came because Harris “lost”.
But to the contrary, political commentators from both parties have broadly agreed that Harris had a stronger showing in the debate than Trump.
It was the first time Harris and Trump had ever met in person, and the Democrat managed to goad her increasingly irritated rival while generating several clip-ready moments of stifled laughter and sharp criticisms.
That came despite both candidates dodging direct questions about several key policy issues.
Polls indicate that US voters likewise feel Harris came out on top in the debate. On Thursday, a survey from the news agency Reuters and the market research firm Ipsos found that 53 percent of voters who had at least some knowledge of the debate felt that Harris won. Just 24 percent said the same of Trump.
A CNN flash poll released shortly after the debate also showed a majority of viewers felt Harris outperformed Trump, and a YouGov poll showed 54 percent of those surveyed said Harris won compared with 31 percent for Trump.
Still, it remains unclear how significant the debate will be for the November 5 election or whether the outcome will connect with undecided voters in key battleground states. Polls show the race remains neck and neck.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that a majority of registered voters surveyed are satisfied with having only one Harris-Trump debate.
Fifty-four percent felt one debate was enough. Meanwhile, 46 percent said they wanted a second debate.
