By kawaekwune Jeffrey
Former President Donald Trump has declined an invitation from Vice President Kamala Harris to participate in a second debate ahead of the US presidential election.
Harris’s campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, announced on Saturday that Harris had accepted an invitation from CNN for a debate on October 23. This would have been the second debate between the two candidates, following their initial encounter on September 10, which many analysts believe Harris won.
Dillon stated: “The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots.”
However, Trump, addressing supporters at a campaign rally in North Carolina, declined the offer, stating that it was “too late.”
He explained: “It’s just too late, voting has already started.” According to Trump early voting has begun in several states.
He acknowledged the value of a debate, saying, “I would like to debate, it’s good entertainment value,” but criticized CNN, despite earlier praising the network for being “very fair” when he debated President Joe Biden in June.
He remarked: “They won’t be fair again” after the backlash over the handling of the first debate.
It would be recalled that Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket following the latter’s weak performance against Trump. Trump, now 78, is the oldest presidential nominee running against Harris, who is 59.
As early voting has commences in some states, the race between Trump and Harris remains tight, with both candidates rallying their supporters. Harris has criticized Trump and his party, labeling them “hypocrites” over their stance on abortion. Speaking on Friday, she blamed Trump for the abortion ban in Georgia, which she said had led to the deaths of two women.
Trump, in turn, has frequently boasted that his Supreme Court appointments paved the way for the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, returning the decision on abortion rights to individual states. Since then, at least 20 states have implemented abortion restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
The election is expected to hinge on seven key battleground states, including North Carolina.
