CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris accepted an invitation from CNN on Saturday to debate former President Donald Trump on Oct. 23, challenging him to once again face off publicly against his rival in the final week of the election campaign.
“Vice President Harris looks forward to another opportunity to share the stage with Donald Trump,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “We are sure that Donald Trump would have no problem agreeing to the debate.”
Harris tweeted Saturday that she would be “gladly open to a 2nd Presidential debate” and said she expected Trump to “join us” on October 23.
President Trump argued on Saturday that it’s “too late” to hold another presidential debate as Americans begin voting for the 2024 presidential election.
“The problem with another debate is that it’s too late because the voting has already started,” Trump said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Presidential candidates traditionally have the final say in a nationally televised debate in October following the vice presidential debate. Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, is scheduled to face off against Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in a CBS-hosted debate on Oct. 1.
Trump last week hinted at the possibility of participating in a third presidential debate, following his Sept. 10 ABC-hosted debate with Harris in Philadelphia. “If I feel like it, I might,” he told reporters while in California, after posting to Truth Social, “There will be no third debate!”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang pointed CNN to the Truth Social post when asked Saturday whether the former president would accept the debate invitation.
Harris’ campaign denied last week that Trump had announced there would be no next debate, with a senior adviser saying, “The former president changes his position every day.” Meanwhile, Vice President Harris said, “I think we have an obligation to the voters to have a debate,” and called for another one immediately.
According to the network, the October debate will be modeled after the first 2024 presidential debate between President Trump and President Joe Biden, which will be held at CNN’s studios in Atlanta in June. President Trump and Senator Harris are scheduled to answer moderator questions for 90 minutes without a live studio audience.
“Both Vice President Harris and former President Trump have accepted invitations to participate in a CNN debate this fall. We believe a second debate between the two candidates for president of the United States would be beneficial for the American people,” CNN said in a statement. “We look forward to hearing responses from both sides so the American people can hear more from both candidates as we make our final decision.”
The June 27 CNN debate between Trump and Biden was a crucial battle that changed the course of the election. After a disastrous performance in the Atlanta debate, Biden ultimately withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic candidate.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
