Third debate ahead of US presidential polls? Kamala Harris says ‘gladly accept’, Donald Trump rejects ‘too late as…’

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has accepted the invitation for another presidential debate hosted by CNN ahead of the polls in November, but Donald Trump rejected it saying ‘it is too late as voting has already started’

Kamala Harris posted on X that she ‘will gladly accept a second presidential debate on October 23’ and challenged Trump to join

Meanwhile, speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday, Trump claimed "it's just too late" for another.

"Voting has already started," he said, accusing Harris of seeking another round of sparring "because she's losing badly."

Notably, Harris and Trump debated earlier this month in a debate moderated by ABC News, in which the Vice President appeared to dominate against the former president with targeted barbs.

Donald Trump on Third Presidential Debate

The first presidential debate took place between Trump and President Joe Biden, in which the latter's poor show mounted concerns over his age leading him to bow out of the campaign. The President then endorsed Kamala Harris for the race, who soon got the party's official nomination.

For the October debate, CNN has offered both campaigns a format similar to the June debate, in which Trump and Harris would field moderators' questions for 90 minutes without a live studio audience.

After the 10 September debate, Trump said there would be no further debates Initially, he posted on Truth Social, "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!"

But last week, he suggested that he might be open to participating in a third presidential debate following his September 10 face-off with Harris hosted by ABC in Philadelphia. "Maybe if I got in the right mood," he told reporters during a stop in California.

Last week, Harris' campaign brushed off Trump's declaration that there would be no further debates, with a senior adviser noting that the former president "alters his stance daily." Meanwhile, the vice president promptly advocated for another debate, stating, "I believe it's our duty to the voters," according to a report from CNN.

The U.S. presidential election is slated for November 5. If the debate approved by Harris on October 23 takes place, it will occur at a critical juncture in the campaign season.

(With inputs from agencies)