US: Donald Trump rules out repeat debate with Kamala Harris

Donald Trump on Thursday rejected the possibility of another debate with his opponent Kamala Harris ahead of November's presidential election.

Trump made the comment as he and Harris returned to their campaigns in the battleground states where the tight race for the Oval Office will likely be decided in November.

What did Trump say?

The Republican former president posted defiantly that he was victorious in Tuesday's televised face-off with Kamala Harris.

"THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" the 78-year-old wrote on his Truth Social platform, including in his tally the earlier debate with Joe Biden in June that proved so disastrous to the sitting president's chances of seeking re-election.

"Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris," said Trump, despite several snap polls that showed Harris emerging as the victor in the ABC-hosted debate, which was watched by some 67 million viewers.

Democrats had challenged Trump to a repeat debate in the aftermath.

"When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, 'I WANT A REMATCH,'" he said.

Trump was on the campaign trail at a rally in Tucson in Arizona, one of the several knife-edge states that both candidates hope to win.

At a rally there, Trump said he would end taxes on overtime pay as part of a broader package of tax cuts if elected on November 5.

An earlier policy of imposing no tax on tips taken in the hospitality sector has proved popular — with Harris later making a similar pledge.

Does Harris want a debate?

Meanwhile, at a rally in North Carolina — another swing state — the Democratic presidential candidate insisted the pair should debate again before the November 5 election.

"Two nights ago Donald Trump and I had our first debate and I believe we owe it to the voters to have another," Harris told cheering supporters in the city of Charlotte.

"Because this election and what is at stake could not be more important," added the Democrat, who was headed to a second rally in Greensboro, North Carolina later on Thursday.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday that surveyed voters who said they had heard at least something about Tuesday's debate showed that 53% believed Harris won while only 24% said Trump was the victor.

The debate saw several talking points. While Harris dodged questions on policy issues, she was successful in baiting Trump into angry remarks on several issues, not least when she criticized his campaign rallies themselves.

The former president was also called out by moderators after he amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets.

rc/msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)