Trump Says Not Inclined to Debate Again, But Leaves Door Open

Donald Trump said he is not inclined to have another debate with Kamala Harris after initially suggesting several additional matchups to supplement Tuesday’s forum.

“I am not inclined to do it because I won the debate by a lot,” the former president said Wednesday morning in an interview on Fox News, contradicting analysts who said the vice president had bested him. “I don’t know that I want to do another debate.”

Still, hours later, Trump said he hadn’t completely ruled out another matchup, adding that he had potential broadcast venues in mind if he ultimately decided to move forward with a second contest. 

“I would do NBC. I’d do Fox too but, right now, we have to determine whether or not we want to,” Trump told reporters in Pennsylvania, during a stop to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The scattershot approach epitomized the former president’s hasty effort to recover from a showdown that saw him largely on the defensive and distracted. The Republican nominee headed to the media spin room shortly after the debate, posted repeatedly on his social media channels through the night, and then appeared early Tuesday morning on the conservative network to declare victory and complain that media coverage had been unfair. 

While Trump insisted to Fox that Harris’ request for additional debates suggests she lost their showdown, public opinion polls and betting markets indicate the Democratic candidate had the better night.

“The losing person, the fighter, the debater, they always ask for a rematch. I won the debate,” Trump said. 

Trump said that if Fox News did host a second contest, that it shouldn’t be moderated by Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier because the pair were critical of his performance on the stage in Philadelphia.

Earlier: Kamala Harris Baits Trump Into a Debate on Her Terms

A month ago, Trump floated three debates with Harris, which included the one held on Tuesday with ABC News and debates to be hosted by Fox News and NBC News. 

The Harris campaign previously said it would only commit to additional debates if Trump showed up to Tuesday’s event — and has rejected a debate hosted by Fox. Immediately following the forum, the Harris campaign said the vice president was “ready for a second debate.”

Tuesday’s debate carried added significance as polls forecast a razor-edged race. A New York Times/Siena College poll on Sunday showed Trump led Harris nationally by a point.

Trump had repeatedly railed against Tuesday’s moderators from ABC News for fact-checking various claims the former president made — including noting that there were no credible reports of immigrants eating animals in Springfield, Ohio, and that abortions couldn’t take place after a baby is born. 

During the debate, the candidates sparred over numerous topics, including abortion, the economy and the border. A CNN exit poll showed 63% of people who watched the forum said Harris won.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.