Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said Saturday that she has accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump next month.

What You Need To Know

  • Vice President Kamala Harris accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump next month

  • Hours later, Trump told attendees at his North Carolina rally that he believes it's "too late" to hold another debate, arguing that "the voting has started"

  • Per Harris’ campaign, the debate would take place on Wednesday, Oct. 23, on CNN, the same network that hosted the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden that precipitated the incumbent’s exit from the race weeks later after his poor performance

  • After the ABC debate earlier this month, which Trump roundly criticized when moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked some of his answers — while letting other falsehoods slip by — the Republican nominee declared that “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE"

Hours later, Trump told attendees at his North Carolina rally that he believes it's "too late" to hold another debate, arguing that "the voting has started."

The announcement from the Democratic nominee’s campaign comes days after Harris and Trump faced off on ABC earlier this month — after which the former president said he would not participate in another debate against the vice president.

Per Harris’ campaign, the debate would take place on Wednesday, Oct. 23, on CNN, the same network that hosted the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden that precipitated the incumbent’s exit from the race weeks later after his poor performance, and would employ the same rules as that initial matchup.

“The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots,” Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement Saturday. “It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate.”

“Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump, and she has accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23,” she added. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate. It is the same format and setup as the CNN debate he attended and said he won in June, when he praised CNN’s moderators, rules, and ratings.”

The network confirmed in a statement of its own that it would employ similar rules as the June debate between Biden and Trump — 90 minutes of questions from moderators, with no live studio audience — and implored the two candidates to accept, saying it believes “the American people would benefit from a second debate between the two candidates for President of the United States.”

“We look forward to receiving a response from both campaigns so the American public can hear more from these candidates as they make their final decision,” CNN said in a statement.

It was initially unclear if Trump would, indeed, accept the invitation. After the ABC debate, which Trump roundly criticized when moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked some of his answers — while letting other falsehoods slip by — the Republican nominee declared that “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”

The network said Saturday afternoon that Trump has yet to respond to its invitation.

Trump's made his feelings clear later Saturday. During his rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump told attendees that he was turning down the offer.

"The problem with another debate is that it's just too late, voting has already started," Trump said, blaming Harris for "turning down" an invitation to debate with Trump on Fox News. "But now she wants to do a debate right before the election."

Trump and Biden's final debate of the 2020 election cycle took place on Oct. 22. Their first debate didn't happen until Sept. 29.