Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will not participate in a second debate with Kamala Harris before the November 5 election, arguing that it is "too late" since early voting has already begun in some states. Earlier that day, Harris's campaign revealed she had accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on October 23, following their encounter on September 10, which many analysts deemed a victory for Harris.
"The American people deserve another chance to see Vice President Harris and Donald Trump debate before they vote," stated her campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillon. Harris also expressed her hope that Trump would join her for the debate on X.
Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, Trump characterized debating as "good entertainment value," but maintained that the timing was no longer viable with early voting underway. "It's just too late; voting has already started," he said.
Harris stepped up to lead the Democratic ticket after President Biden's poor performance against Trump, making the 59-year-old Harris a younger contender against the 78-year-old Trump, now the oldest presidential nominee in history.
As early voting commenced in several states, the race is tightening, particularly in crucial battlegrounds like North Carolina. Trump addressed his supporters in Wilmington from behind bulletproof glass, following a recent assassination attempt that saw security thwart a gunman on his golf course in Florida. This incident follows a shooting at a rally in July, prompting the Secret Service to acknowledge "deficiencies" in their security measures.
Trump, who won North Carolina in the 2020 election, faces a challenge from Harris, who seeks to sway young and African American voters to flip the state for the Democrats. His rally speech highlighted his hardline anti-immigrant stance, making unfounded claims about migrant violence in the Midwest. He also promised that the U.S. would "reach Mars before the end of my term."
Complicating his campaign in North Carolina, a recent report revealed incendiary past comments from Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor whom Trump endorsed, including self-identifying as a "Black Nazi." Robinson dismissed the report as "salacious tabloid lies."
With the presidential race remaining extremely close, every vote is critical. Trump has once again refused to commit to accepting the election outcome if he loses, amid ongoing criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which culminated in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. He concluded his rally by suggesting that CNN had been "very fair" during his debate with Biden but wouldn't be "fair again" this time around.
