Kamala Harris accepts invitation for 2nd presidential debate, Trump rejects

Donald Trump has rejected joining his Democratic rival Kamala Harris for a second presidential debate, saying it was "too late" now since Americans have already started casting their votes for the November 5 presidential election.

In Short

• Donald Trump says 'too late' for second presidential debate with Kamala Harris
• Kamala Harris's team says ready for another debate
• Trump also said last week 'no third debate'

Kamala Harris, the US Vice President and Democratic candidate for the presidential election, has accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in another round of presidential debate with Republican rival Donald Trump on October 23, her campaign said on Saturday. But Trump has refused, saying it was "too late now" for a second debate as voters have already started casting their ballots for the November 5 election.

The first debate between the two nominees was held on September 10, after which both of them claimed victory.

“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," Harris' campaign head, Jen O'Malley Dillon, said in a statement.

However, the former US President rejected the invite for the debate, saying that Vice President Harris agreed to another debate ahead of the election because "she’s losing badly".

"The problem with another debate is that it’s just too late, voting has already started,"Trump said at a rally in Wilmington.

"Now she wants to do a debate right before the election with CNN because she’s losing badly," the former President added.

Immediately after the September 10 debate, Kamala Harris's camp mentioned that she was 'ready' for another one. It was earlier anticipated that this debate might be the only meeting between Harris and Trump in the tightly packed campaign.

The Republican candidate, however, called it his "best debate ever", as he refrained from committing to another debate.

Last week, Trump stated that he would not participate in another debate against Harris before the November 5 election. "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" the former president wrote on his social media site Truth Social. Donald Trump participated in a debate in January with US President Joe Biden, the initial Democratic contender, who quit the race and paved the way for Harris.

In the first debate, both leaders sparred over issues ranging from immigration, violence, abortion, the economic crisis, the Ukraine and Gaza wars, among others. Harris put Trump on the defensive with a series of attacks on his fitness for office, his support of abortion restrictions, and his numerous legal troubles.