Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for October 23, again challenging Trump to another showdown

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign. “Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.” The debate would mirror the first 2024 presidential debate in June between Trump and President Joe Biden, taking place at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, according to the network. Trump suggested last week 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, after previously posting on Truth Social, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” CNN’s debate between Trump and Biden on June 27 proved a consequential showdown that upended the course of the campaign. After a particularly poor performance at that Atlanta debate, Biden eventually bowed out of the race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee. For October, CNN offered the 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.