Photo Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty
After months of negotiations over moderators, microphones and other details, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris finally debated in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. But after that combative affair, it’s unclear whether the two candidates will face off again, with about seven weeks left until Election Day. The Harris team, currently on a victory lap after the vice president’s strong performance on Tuesday, is excited about a second meeting. Trump, who railed against the ABC moderators on Tuesday, downplayed the possibility, and it’s unclear whether he would accept a moderator other than Fox News. Here’s what we know about a potential second Harris-Trump face-off.
Most pundits and politicians declared Harris the clear winner of the first debate. Building on this confidence, campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon issued a statement a few minutes later expressing her candidate’s enthusiasm for a second round. “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is it Donald Trump?” she said.
Campaign spokesman Brian Fallon, who was involved in the contentious negotiations for the first duel, echoed his colleague’s sentiments on social media and called for another debate next month. “That was fun. Let’s do it again in October,” he said.
After Harris’ team threw down the gauntlet, the Trump campaign interpreted her eagerness as a sign that she had lost the debate. Campaign adviser Chris LaCivita told Washington post“Of course. They need to be cleaned.”
Trump himself stopped by the spin room on Tuesday night and told the assembled media, “That was the best debate I’ve ever had.” But he also seemed to dismiss the idea of a sequel. “She wants to do another one because she got beat tonight. I don’t know if we’re going to do another one,” he said.
In an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday morning, Trump still seemed reluctant to have another debate. “I’m not inclined to participate because I won by a large margin, but we’ll see what happens,” he said.
The next debate will not be between Harris and Trump, but between their running mates: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance. The two potential vice presidents are scheduled to face off on October 1 on CBS.
In August, Trump said he had agreed to three debates for the following month: September 4, 10 and 25 with Fox News, ABC News and NBC News. (Joe Biden had already agreed to the September 10 debate before he withdrew his presidential candidacy after his disastrous performance against Trump in June. Harris eventually confirmed that she would participate on the same day.)
Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of a debate moderated by Fox News, suggesting Sept. 4 as a possible date. It’s not yet clear whether Harris would agree to an event hosted by the conservative network, as her campaign never officially accepted an offer for the originally proposed date. An appearance on Fox News could give Harris a chance to reach right-leaning voters, something she welcomes as her campaign has campaigned with the support of prominent Republicans in recent weeks. But that would mean submitting to a network that has a clear affinity for her opponent.
On Wednesday, Trump condemned proposed moderators for the Fox event, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, for their comments after the debate. “I don’t want Martha or Bret. I’d like to have somebody other than Martha or Bret,” he said, considering Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham, who are much more friendly toward Trump. It’s safe to say Harris would avoid Fox if any of those names were in play.
