Donald Trump has announced that he will not participate in a second debate against Kamala Harris ahead of the November elections.
The former president claimed on Truth Social that polls showed he “clearly won” his first debate against Harris in Philadelphia earlier this week.
Trump added that Harris “should focus on what she should have done” while vice-president.
Polls show the two candidates in an extremely tight race with just two months to go before the election.
During the tense 90-minute debate on Tuesady, Harris frequently rattled Trump with a string of personal attacks that put him on the defensive, including comments about the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the 6 January 2021 riots at the US Capitol.
A snap CNN poll of voters watching suggested that Harris performed better. Betting markets suggested the same.
Trump and his supporters claimed that the two ABC journalists moderating the debate were unfair and biased in favour of Harris.
“When a prize fighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are ‘I want a rematch’,” Trump wrote.
“Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ radical left candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a second debate,” he added.
