Trump claims US Presidential debate was rigged against him
- In Reports
- 08:27 PM, Sep 13, 2024
- Myind Staff
Donald Trump ruled out the possibility of participating in another presidential debate against Kamala Harris before the election in November. Two days after their first debate in Philadelphia, Trump said on Thursday that Harris was seeking a rematch because he "clearly" won. Even though several instant polls came up with results that voters felt Harris had performed better than him in the debate.
Trump added that Harris should instead "focus" on her job as vice-president. Shortly after, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Harris responded by saying they "owe" voters another debate because "what is at stake could not be more important".
Recent polls, with only two months to go before the election, have set up a very tight race between the two candidates. Both candidates claimed victory on ABC News in Tuesday’s 90-minute debate. During that debate, Harris ruffled Trump's feathers with an array of personal attacks that put him on the defensive, including comments about the size of his rally crowds and his actions during the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. In response to Harris, Trump and his supporters accused the two ABC journalists who moderated the debate of being unfair, biased toward Harris. On Thursday, Trump said he did not need another debate.
"When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are 'I want a rematch'," Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday. "Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats' radical left candidate... and she immediately called for a second debate," he added. The former president held a rally in Arizona on Thursday and gave an interview with Telemundo Arizona backstage. "We just don't think it's necessary," he said of a second debate with Harris. "We think we've discussed everything and I don't think they want it either."
But the Harris campaign didn't stop calling for another debate after Philadelphia and did so again on Thursday. They said that voters "got to see the choice they will face at the ballot box: moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump".
"Vice-President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?" the campaign said.
Following the debate, a series of surrogates for the Trump campaign came forward, including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz believed that Trump would welcome another debate. However, Trump said on Fox News the following morning that the debate had been "rigged" and that he was "less inclined" to attend another after his "great night". His decision on Thursday also appeared to contradict earlier messaging from his own campaign. On Wednesday morning, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the former president had told CNN that Trump "has already said that he is going to do three debates."
Both campaigns had reportedly been in discussion over a debate on NBC News on September 5. The network did not say on Trump’s latest statement.
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