'Why Would I Do A Rematch?': Donald Trump Responds To Second Harris Debate Challenge

Following the first presidential debate on Tuesday night between President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Republican candidate took to Truth Social to declare victory and explain that, given his performance, he may not agree to another debate. The post comes after the Harris campaign pushed for another debate in October, just minutes after the ABC News debate's conclusion.

"In the World of Boxing or UFC, when a Fighter gets beaten or knocked out, they get up and scream, 'I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!'" Trump explained on Truth Social. "Well, it's no different with a Debate. She was beaten badly last night. Every Poll has us WINNING, in one case, 92-8, so why would I do a Rematch?" Trump argued that he won the debate despite the biased moderation from David Muir and Lindsay Davis. "I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!" Trump wrote.

Less than an hour after the debate, the Harris campaign argued that the American people deserve to see another debate. "Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump. That's what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?"

In response to the challenge, Trump, in a rare post-interview appearance in the spin room, stated, "They want another debate because they lost. So, we'll, you know, think about that." However, in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump seemed less interested in a rematch with his political opponent. "I sort of think maybe I shouldn't do it," he said. "I have to think about it, but if you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn't do it. Why should I do another debate? She immediately said, 'We want another.' That's, you know, what happens when you lose. You immediately want to do a rematch."

"Let's see what happens," Trump stated. "I am not inclined to do it because I won the debate by a lot. But I think we let it settle in, and let's see what happens."

While President Trump claims he won the first debate against Harris, voters have a more mixed view. According to The Washington Post's panel of swing state voters, 23 out of 25 believed Harris performed better, and only two 25 believed Trump was the better-performing debater. The amount of support each candidate received from the panel also changed from before and after the debate, with 12 voters leaning "probably Harris," three voters preferring neither candidate, and 10 voters leaning "probably Trump" before the debate. In contrast, the post-debate survey found five voters were "definitely Harris," 10 were "probably Harris," three preferred neither, and six said they'd probably vote for Trump. None of those surveyed would "definitely" pull the lever for Trump in November after the debate.

While swing state voters may have found Harris' performance more compelling than Trump's, it is difficult to be compelling when the debate was characterized by biased moderation and numerous lopsided fact-checks. Throughout the debate, the moderators chose to fact-check Trump's comments and failed to do the same for Harris, even on her most egregious lies, such as the Charlottesville "fine people on both sides" hoax. As the campaign goes into its final stretch, the debate on Tuesday night will likely be overshadowed by the coming weeks, but whether Trump agrees to another debate will be up in the air.

Trump says he'll debate Kamala Harris on NBC later this month but then in the next breath says he's not sure if he'll debate Kamala Harris on NBC later this month pic.twitter.com/nhhlgg9y06

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 11, 2024

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