Harris campaign promptly calls for another debate against Trump

Vice President Harris’s campaign called for another presidential debate against former President Trump, just moments after Tuesday’s event in Philadelphia ended.

“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump. That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October,” Harris campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.

She added, “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”

Trump, for his part, said his team would think about participating in another debate. He claimed that Harris calling for another debate in his mind meant she lost.

“She wants to do another one because she was beaten tonight. I don’t know if we’re going to do another one,” he said during an unexpected appearance in the spin room. “She wants a second debate because she lost tonight, very badly… we’ll think about that.”

The debate hosted by ABC was the first between Harris and Trump.

Trump debated former President Biden in the now-infamous June 27 clash, during which the president performed so poorly that Democrats called for him to drop out and he ultimately exited the race.

The Harris campaign projected confidence and declared Harris the winner of the debate in its first statement afterward. O’Malley Dillon said that Harris “commanded the stage on every single issue” and called Trump “totally incoherent.”

Ahead of the debate, Trump repeatedly criticized ABC, raising questions about whether he would participate in it. The Harris campaign pushed back on the decision to mute the microphones while another candidate is speaking but ultimately agreed to the rule, suggesting that it caved to make sure the debate happened.

Updated 11:41 p.m.