Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said she had accepted a debate invitation from CNN for October and urged Republican rival Donald Trump — who has ruled out another face-off — to take the stage with her, saying voters “deserve another opportunity” to hear from the candidates.
The debate would be held on Oct. 23, less than two weeks before Election Day, according to a statement from Harris campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon on Saturday.
“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,” O’Malley Dillon said.
The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump clashed with President Joe Biden at a June debate moderated by CNN — a forum which saw the sitting president deliver a calamitous performance that led him to eventually decide to end his campaign and endorse Harris for the party nomination.
Harris and Trump took the stage for their only debate so far on Sept. 10, a showdown moderated by ABC News that had originally been agreed to by the Republican presidential nominee and Biden’s campaign.
That debate saw Trump deliver an uneven performance and a CNN snap poll showed voters viewed Harris as the clear winner. Harris’ campaign immediately challenged Trump to a second televised contest and she has repeatedly said at rallies that she is eager to take the stage again.
“I’m trying to get another debate but we’ll see,” Harris said on Friday during a campaign event in Georgia.
Trump in the aftermath of this month’s debate has ruled out appearing on stage again with Harris, insisting he won their showdown and did not need to debate again. The former president and allies also lashed out at ABC News moderators, saying they were biased in favor of Harris.
The moderators corrected on-air the former president’s false claims that Haitian immigrants were eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats in the town of Springfield, Ohio, and that some states allow babies to be killed after birth.
Trump and Harris’ running mates, Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are slated to hold their own debate on Oct. 1 with CBS News.