Harris agrees to CNN debate, Trump campaign nixes idea

US vice-president Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in another debate against Donald Trump on October 23rd and urges her republican rival to face her less than two weeks in advance of the November 5th presidential election, the Democratic candidate’s campaign said on Saturday.
“Vice-president Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump, and she has accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23rd. Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chair of the Harris campaign, said in a statement.
Asked about Ms Harris’ acceptance of the CNN invitation, a Trump representative referred to the republican former president’s prior statements that there would be no more debates.
Ms Harris and Mr Trump debated each other for the first time on September 10th, in a contest that polls showed was won by the Democratic nominee.
[ Harris v Trump debate: What’s the state of play now in the US presidential race?Opens in new window ]
Mr Trump last week said he would not participate in another debate against Ms Harris before the election.
“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” the former president wrote on his social media site Truth Social last Thursday.
Mr Trump debated president Joe Biden in June before his matchup against Harris.
Mr Biden’s shaky performance in that debate rattled Democrats and prompted strategists to ask whether their party should take the unprecedented step of replacing the 81-year old president as their candidate.
Mr Biden withdrew from the race for the White House in July. – Reuters
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