Viewers itching for one last verbal showdown between President Trump and Kamala Harris were left high and dry after his bold choice to not participate in another debate in late October. With the race for the White House practically neck-and-neck and time running out, President Trump declared there’s simply no reason for a last hurrah. “There is nothing to debate!” he shouted in an all-caps social media post on Truth Social. This decision throws shade on Fox’s claim that a second debate “would present an opportunity for each candidate to make their closing arguments,” according to Reuters.
Voting is already in full swing for most Americans, who now enjoy historic access to mail-in and early voting—thanks to reforms hastily made to manage the 2020 presidential election during a global pandemic. Ten states kicked off mail-in and absentee ballot distribution a staggering 45 days before the November 5th election, a deadline that must be met nationally for military ballots. Back in 2000, a mere 40% of voters had some form of early voting access; fast forward to today, and that number has skyrocketed to 97%. Yet, President Trump claims it’s too late in the season to bother prepping for a two-hour debate.
Shutting the door on a final debate leaves voters with just three significant meetings to guide their decision-making: President Trump’s sole debate with Joe Biden on September 27th, his earlier debate with Kamala Harris on September 10th, and the recent vice presidential debate between Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. After a disastrous showing against Trump, aides began eyeing Biden’s exit from the contest, a move finalized in late July after Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
In this election cycle, Harris managed to hold her own in a fiercely contested debate, yet it did little to shift voters’ perceptions. In multiple post-debate forums with undecided voters, the majority claimed they learned next to nothing about her positions, instead reacting to her relentless attacks on President Trump. The Vance-Walz debate last week drew sharp criticism regarding the Democratic running mate’s suitability for national politics. At times, the Minnesota governor stumbled over his words and butchered an answer on mass shootings, bizarrely noting he’s become “friends with school shooters.”
Since Biden’s withdrawal, Harris has been effectively crowned by the Democratic Party, with heavyweights like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi rallying behind her before the party’s August convention. As journalist Mark Halperin pointed out this week, Democrats are conducting an unprecedented, high-stakes experiment to see if a presidential campaign can be launched and won in just two months. With tightening polls and a steady decline in Harris’s numbers, advisors are increasingly bullish on Trump’s chances of victory like never before.
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