Kamala Harris agrees to CNN town hall after Trump rejects second debate
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday agreed to appear at a CNN town hall on Oct. 23 after former President Trump rejected the network’s offer to host a second debate with his rival.
The Democratic nominee will answer questions live from voters in the swing state of Pennsylvania. The event is scheduled for the same time that CNN had previously scheduled a presidential debate between the two candidates.
“Trump may want to hide from the voters, but Vice President Harris welcomes the opportunity to share her vision for a new way forward for the country,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’ campaign chair, said in a statement. “Trump’s refusal to join (Harris) on the debate stage again is a disservice to the American people.”
Trump failed to respond to CNN’s deadline of noon on Thursday to agree to the debate as well as an alternate invitation to do the town hall with Harris. He had previously firmly rejected the idea of a face-to-face rematch after their first debate last month.
Trump also backed out of the traditional presidential candidate’s interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” after previously agreeing to do the sit-down.
The Republican candidate is mostly sticking to interviews with friendly right-wing media outlets and rallies with his loyal followers.
Trump is planning an Oct. 27 rally at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan and is going to Coachella, Calif. on Saturday — even though most political analysts advise both campaigns to focus on the battleground states that will likely determine the winner of the race for the White House.
After receiving criticism for her relatively sparse schedule of interviews, Harris went on “60 Minutes” and has done a flurry of media appearances in recent days, including interviews on “The View” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where she sipped beers while chatting with the funnyman.
Harris also appeared Thursday at a town hall-style event with Latino voters in Las Vegas hosted by Spanish-language broadcaster Univision. Trump, who hopes to make inroads with the traditionally Democratic-leaning community, will do a similar town hall in a Sin City suburb next week.
Polls say the candidates are locked in a neck-and-neck race with little change in the dynamic since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris in July.
The new Democratic standard bearer quickly erased the lead Trump had enjoyed over Biden and even forged a modest lead nationwide. But she has failed to pull away from Trump in the swing states, even after delivering what some pundits thought was a punishing blow to Trump in their first debate on Sept. 10.
