Washington, D.C. — Speaking amid the election eve, US Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the invitation of CNN and accepted formally the challenge of former US President Donald Trump to another debate on Sunday, October 23. Hours after Kamala declared acceptance to CNN of the Sunday night debate challenge by Trump, Trump himself confirmed his participation through a tweet:.
“Vice President Harris is looking forward to getting another crack at sharing a stage with Donald Trump,” Dillon said. “The American people deserve the chance to watch a debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump before they cast their votes.”
Trump was a participant in two earlier debates-one with President Joe Biden and the other with Harris, now leading for the Democratic ticket. However, Trump’s campaign has yet to respond to a new challenge on the debate, and he had initially seemed averse to meeting Harris again.
Most analysts rated the latest debate between Harris and Biden as a victory for Harris on September 10. Biden’s performance against Trump in June proved utterly dismal, fueling concerns about age and furthering pressure on the old 81-year-old president, who hasn’t made any formal decision about his candidacy yet. Conversely, Trump is an even older presidential nominee than Biden at 78 years old. Harris, meanwhile, is 59 years old-again, significantly younger than any presidential nominee facing her.
Early voting began Tuesday in Virginia, Minnesota, and South Dakota – all of which are anticipated as closely contested components of the season. In terms of campaign rhetoric, Harris hasn’t shied away from attacking Trump and the Republican Party on abortion rights, referencing a recent abortion ban in Georgia that she said has been fatal for two women.
Trump has bragged about his Supreme Court picks, claiming that their decisions facilitated the 2022 decision to curb national abortion rights, leaving states free to implement legislation. Since the decision, at least 20 states have enacted total or partial abortion bans, and Georgia has banned nearly all abortions after six weeks.
The electoral race remains highly competitive, with Trump continuing to rely on a conservative religious base and voters frustrated with the current political climate. He has also heavily campaigned on anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Security threats have heightened tensions in the race, with a recent assassination attempt against Trump in Florida marking the second such incident in recent months. Because the outcome is likely to depend on a few key swing states, including Georgia, every vote will count.
For his part, Trump has once again stated that he may not accept the outcome of the election if he loses it, given that legal battles associated with his conduct following the 2020 election continue.
As Election Day draws closer, each candidate faces the highest stakes ever.