October surprise? Kamala Harris agrees to October debate. Will Donald Trump?
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — fresh off what was widely considered a victory in her first presidential debate against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump — has agreed to a potential rematch ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
Will Donald Trump agree? Here's the latest.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN's invitation to a second presidential debate
According to published reports, Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation to a potential second debate with Donald Trump.
The CNN presidential debate would occur on Wednesday, October 23.
CNN reported that the debate would mirror the format of the one held in June at the network’s studios in Atlanta between President Joe Biden and Trump.
Harris confirmed she accepted CNN's invitation in a post on social media platform X:
"I will gladly accept a second presidential debate on October 23," read Harris' post. "I hope @realDonaldTrump will join me."
The Harris campaign also confirmed the acceptance put the ball in Trump's court.
“Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump, and she has accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23,” said campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon in a press release. “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.”
Will Donald Trump agree to a second debate?
Donald Trump has so far declined to debate Kamala Harris for a second time, declaring that it was too late to have another presidential debate.
The proposed date of Harris-Trump II would come just two weeks before the election.
Trump told supporters at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Saturday that "It's just too late — voting has already started." He also said he's "already done two" debates, and questioned whether CNN would be fair to him.
The former president wrote in a Truth Social post earlier this month that he wouldn’t debate Harris again, claiming he won the ABC face-off against her. However, when asked if he would reconsider a second debate with Harris last week, Trump told reporters, "Maybe if I got in the right mood."
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.