Donald Trump says no more debates against Kamala Harris
Donald Trump has announced that he will not hold another debate against Kamala Harris before the November election.
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The former president claimed on Truth Social on Thursday that Harris wanted a "rematch" because he "clearly" won on Tuesday in Philadelphia. He later repeated his claims at a campaign rally in Arizona.
Trump added that Harris should "focus" on her job as vice-president. Harris said that she and her opponent "owe" voters another debate.
Many voter polls taken after Tuesday's debate said Harris performed better than her Republican opponent.
Polls show the two candidates in an extremely tight race with just two months to go before the election.
During the 90-minute debate on Tuesday, Harris frequently rattled Trump with a string of personal attacks that put him on the defensive, including comments about the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the 6 January 2021 riots at the US Capitol.
A snap CNN poll of voters watching suggested that Harris performed better. Betting markets suggested the same.
Trump and his supporters claimed that the two ABC journalists moderating the debate were unfair and biased in favour of Harris.
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"When a prize fighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are 'I want a rematch'," Trump wrote.
"Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats' radical left candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a second debate," he added.
At a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina shortly after Trump's announcement, Harris said that she and Trump "owe it to the voters to have another debate".
"This election and what is at stake could not be more important," she added.
The Harris campaign called for a second debate immediately after Philadelphia, stating 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?"
Speaking after the debate, various Trump campaign surrogates - including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz - said that they believed Trump would welcome another debate.
However Trump the next morning said on Fox News that the debate had been "rigged" and that he was "less inclined" to attend another after his "great night".
Trump 'needs a new angle'
Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee - an organisation that has advised the Harris-Walz campaign on economic messaging - told the BBC that Trump's decision was a "double favour" to the Harris campaign.
"Voters will have a lasting impression of Kamala Harris as looking presidential and standing on their side," he said. "That will probably do her very well."
"Another debate would potentially help Harris, but could also shake up the existing glow that surrounds her," Mr Green added.
Jeremy Petersen, an independent voter from Utah, told the BBC that he was not surprised by Trump's decision.
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"If [Trump] doesn't feel like he can score some social media soundbites, there's no benefit for him to show up," said Mr Petersen, who added that he would probably support Harris after the Philadelphia debate.
"He felt that Harris wouldn't have the type of performance she did and now he's running scared," Mr Petersen added. "He can't stop her momentum via debate so he needs a new angle."
Bucking tradition
Televised debates date back to 1960, when John F Kennedy faced off against Richard Nixon.
There are traditionally two or three presidential debates happening in most election cycles, along with at least one vice-presidential debate.
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That tradition, however, was thrown into chaos in July, when Joe Biden withdrew from the election weeks after a disastrous performance against Trump in the first debate.
The subsequent debate between Harris and Trump followed weeks of back and forth over whether it would go ahead, and under what conditions.
Trump had also suggested additional debates on Fox and NBC News, although Harris only agreed to ABC on Tuesday.
In his Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said she "refused" to do the additional debates.
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Statistics from media analytics firm Nielsen show that 67.1m people watched the debate, a significantly higher figure than the 51.3m who tuned into the June debate between Trump and Biden.
Polls show Harris and Trump in an extremely tight race in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Thursday said Harris had a five-point lead over Trump nationally, while 53% of respondents said that she won Tuesday's debate.
credit: BBC