Donald Trump says he will no longer debate Kamala Harris

Donald Trump has ruled out holding another presidential debate with rival Kamala Harris before the November election.

He said on Thursday – two days after the pair’s first fight in Philadelphia – that Harris wanted a rematch because he “clearly” won.

Several instant polls taken after Tuesday’s debate showed voters felt Harris performed better than her Republican opponent.

Trump added that Harris should “focus” on her job as vice president. Shortly afterward, at a rally in North Carolina, Harris said voters “owed” another debate because “what’s at stake couldn’t be more important.”

Polls show the two candidates in an extremely tight race with just two months to go until the election.

During the 90-minute debate on Tuesday, Harris frequently flustered Trump with a series of personal attacks that put him on the defensive, including comments about the size of crowds attending his campaign rallies and his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Since then, Trump and his supporters have accused the two ABC journalists who moderated the debate of being unfair and biased toward Harris.

“When a boxer 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.

“The polls clearly showed that I won the debate with Kamala Harris, the radical left Democratic nominee… and she immediately called for a second debate,” he added.

Harris’ campaign has called for a second debate to follow the Philadelphia debate, saying voters “will see the choice they face at the ballot box: step up with Kamala Harris or step back with Trump.”

“Vice President Harris is ready for the second debate. What about Donald Trump?” the campaign said.

Speaking after the debate, several Trump campaign representatives — including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz — said they believed Trump would welcome another debate.

However, the following morning, Trump said on Fox News that the debate was “rigged” and that he had “little interest” in attending another debate after his “great night.”

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee – an organisation that advises the Harris-Walz campaign on its economic messaging – told the BBC that Trump’s decision was a “double win” for the Harris campaign.

“Voters will have a lasting impression of Kamala Harris when she looks presidential and is on their side,” he said. “That could be very good for her.”

Another debate could help Harris, but it could also shake her current support, Green added.

Jeremy Petersen, an independent voter from Utah, told the BBC he was not surprised by Trump’s decision.

“If [Trump] “If he’s not capable of making some comments on social media, there’s no benefit to him being there,” said Petersen, who added that he would likely endorse Harris after the Philadelphia debate.

“He felt Harris wasn’t going to have the same performance she did and now he’s scared,” Petersen added. “He couldn’t stop her momentum through the debate so he needs a new angle.”

Televised debates began in 1960, when John F Kennedy faced off against Richard Nixon.

Traditionally, in most election cycles, there are two or three debates between presidential candidates, along with at least one debate between vice presidential candidates.

That tradition was broken in July, however, when Joe Biden withdrew from the race weeks after a disastrous performance against Trump in the first debate.

The next debate between Harris and Trump comes after weeks of debate over whether the plan should go ahead and under what conditions.

Trump has also proposed holding additional debates on Fox and NBC News, although Harris only agreed to hold them on ABC on Tuesday.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said she “refused” to participate in additional debates.

Statistics from media analytics firm Nielsen showed that 67.1 million people watched the debate, significantly higher than the 51.3 million who watched the June debate between Trump and Biden.

Polls show Harris and Trump in a tight race in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Thursday showed Harris leading Trump by five points nationally, while 53% of respondents said she won Tuesday’s debate.

(With additional reporting from Ana Faguy)