Donald Trump says no more debates against Kamala Harris

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.

"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".

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.

"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."