CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on Oct. 23, challenging her rival to another public engagement in the final weeks of the campaign.
“Vice President Harris is ready to share the stage with Donald Trump again,” campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.”
Harris tweeted Saturday that she would “gladly accept a second presidential debate” and that she hoped Trump would “join her” on October 23.
Trump said Saturday it was “too late” to hold another presidential debate as Americans began voting in the 2024 election.
“The problem with another debate is it’s too late, the voting has already started,” Trump said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Last week, Trump hinted that he might be willing to participate in a third presidential debate after his Sept. 10 face-off with Harris, hosted by ABC in Philadelphia. “Maybe if I feel like I’m in the right frame of mind,” he told reporters during a stop in California, after previously posting on Truth Social, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung referred CNN to this Truth Social publication when asked Saturday whether the former president would accept the debate invitation.
Last week, Harris’ campaign rejected Trump’s announcement that there would be no more debate, with a senior adviser saying the former president “changes his position every day.” The vice president, meanwhile, immediately called for another debate, saying, “I think we owe it to the voters.”
The October debate would be similar to the first presidential debate of 2024, which will be held in June between Trump and President Joe Biden, and would take place at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, according to the network. Trump and Harris will take questions from moderators for 90 minutes without a live studio audience.
“Vice President Harris and former President Trump have both received an invitation to participate in a debate on CNN this fall because we believe the American people would benefit from a second debate between the two candidates for President of the United States,” the network said in a statement. “We look forward to hearing back from both campaigns so the American public can learn more about these candidates before they make their final decisions.”
The Trump-Biden debate on CNN on June 27 was a pivotal showdown that changed the course of the campaign. After a disappointing performance in that debate in Atlanta, Biden eventually withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
