Washington, Sep 21 (IANS): US Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate with former President Donald Trump, who has yet to confirm or reject his participation.
Harris and Trump had their first debate on September 10 and immediately after Harris proposed a second debate. Trump has not accepted it and has ruled it saying it’s too late for a debate as early voting has already begun.
If Trump accepts the invitation, the second debate will take place on October 23 and it will be hosted by CNN, which also held the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle in June, between Trump and President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race shortly after in the face of mounting pressure from within the party and its allies were disappointed by his disastrous performance in the debate.
“The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots. It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate. Debates offer a unique chance for voters to see the candidates side by side and take stock of their competing visions for America,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, the Harris campaign chair said in a statement Saturday.
She added that the Vice President is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump, and she has accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23.
Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate. It is the same format and setup as the CNN debate he attended and said he won in June when he praised CNN’s moderators, rules, and ratings.
Although Trump has ruled out more debates, he is famously prone to changing his mind. He said last week, “I did great with the debates, and I think they’ve answered everything. But maybe if I got in the right mood, I don't know.”
If he agrees, the rules of the debate will remain the same as in the ones with Biden and Harris before - 90 minutes long, no audience, microphone muted for the candidate not asked to speak or respond by the moderators and no props.