Trump rules out second US presidential debate with Harris

WASHINGTON

Donald Trump ruled out a second U.S. presidential debate with rival Kamala Harris, hours after Fox News offered to host a candidate showdown later this month before election day on Nov. 5.

Trump and Harris, locked in an excruciatingly close White House battle, have faced off just once, in September, and despite suggestions by multiple news outlets, it appears they will not meet again before the vote.

"It is very late in the process, [early] voting has already begun... There will be no rematch!" Trump said on Oct. 9 in an all-caps post on his Truth Social media platform, nixing the possibility of a follow-up to the candidates' first debate in Philadelphia.

"Kamala stated clearly, yesterday, that she would not do anything different than Joe Biden, so there is nothing to debate," Trump added.

Harris had previously challenged Trump to a debate hosted by CNN on Oct. 23, but the former president declined.

Trump also said that Harris had backed out of a previous debate offered by Fox, although the Harris campaign had not publicly accepted the proposal.

The candidates did agree to debate on ABC News on Sept. 10, and the vice presidential running mates, Republican J.D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz, squared off on Oct. 1.

But while Trump said he had agreed to participate in a Sept. 4 debate on Fox, as well as one on Sep. 25 on NBC News, Harris never did.

Harris, after positive reviews that she had bested Trump in their encounter, had expressed interest in doing a second debate, but the plans never came to fruition.