Kamala Harris’ campaign left Philadelphia on Tuesday night energized and eager for another debate with former President Donald Trump, following their first high-profile showdown.
While Trump had previously pushed for multiple debates, his enthusiasm for a rematch seemed to wane after his performance received mixed reviews, with many labeling it chaotic and riddled with false claims.
The morning after the debate, Trump appeared on Fox & Friends and doubled down on his claim that he had won the debate. “The first thing they did is ask for a debate because when a fighter loses, he says, ‘I want a rematch,’” Trump stated.
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When pressed about whether he would agree to another face-off, the former president hesitated, saying, “I’d be less inclined to because we had a great night, we won the debate, we had a terrible network.”
Trump was highly critical of ABC News, the network that hosted the debate, calling it “the most dishonest news organization.” He described the event as biased, referring to it as “three to one” and “a rigged deal.”
David Muir and Linsey Davis, who fact-checked him multiple times throughout the debate, Trump maintained that his performance was stellar. “It was one of my better debates, maybe my best debate,” he claimed.
Debate between Harris and Trump was marked by disagreements
Trump had initially called for several debates, including one on Fox News on September 4, which Harris declined. The campaigns also clashed over debate rules, specifically whether the candidates’ microphones should be muted while the other spoke.
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Ultimately, Harris’ team relented on the issue, allowing for muted microphones, but she still attempted to interrupt Trump during the debate, even with her mic turned off. At one point, Trump responded, “I’m talking now … does that sound familiar?” — a reference to Harris’ memorable line from the 2020 vice-presidential debate with Mike Pence, when she said, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”
“She wanted a moment like she did with Mike Pence,” Trump remarked the next morning. “But I actually gotgotp that moment too, I won that too because she was talking while I was speaking quite a bit actually.”
