Trump Declines Second Debate on CNN After Harris Agrees, Says It’s Too Late

Republican candidate says debate would be ’too late' because voting has already started and that his Democrat opponent had declined an earlier proposed debate.

(Left) Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House in Washington on March 18, 2024. (Right) Former President Donald Trump in Mason City, Iowa, on Jan. 5, 2024. Anna Moneymaker; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 21 accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump for a second time, but the prospect of another showdown between the presidential candidates appears highly unlikely as the former president told rallygoers in North Carolina on the same day that the proposed date is too late in the election cycle for a debate.

“I will gladly accept a second presidential debate on October 23. I hope @realDonaldTrump will join me,” Harris said in a post on social media platform X, in response to a post from CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.