Democrats are chomping at the bit for Vice President Kamala Harris to go a second round on the debate stage following Tuesday night’s strong performance against former President Donald Trump.
Her allies on Capitol Hill have borrowed a mantra Trump once used to taunt her and his formal rival, President Joe Biden: “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”
“I think it would be in our interest to do one every morning,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) quipped to the Washington Examiner.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) put it in starker terms: “If he’s dumb enough for another beating, that’s up to him.”
The offensive strategy from Democrats marked an astounding turnaround from the defeated state the party found itself in just weeks ago following Biden’s disastrous June debate.
Trump previously said he’d be willing to debate Harris several times amid accusations she was ducking him and attempts by the Harris campaign to renegotiate rules around muting the mics.
Now, Democrats openly question if Trump would even be willing to accept a rematch.
“It’s not a good look for him to be on stage next to her, but it’s also not a good look for him to avoid another debate,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, feared Trump missed a crucial opportunity to define his lesser-known opponent. Harris repeatedly goaded Trump into veering off-script, making Republicans squirm with unsubstantiated claims that Haitian migrants were eating neighbors’ pets in Ohio.
“There were missed opportunities for President Trump to make his point with more detail,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said. “If he does want to [do another debate], I do hope he tightens things up a little bit.”
In the hours leading up to Harris and Trump’s first head-to-head matchup, her campaign appeared to temper expectations. In a statement, a spokesperson rattled off a list of reasons why Trump was better positioned as a strong debater, including his status as a “showman who won his most recent debate” and that the event would mark his “seventh general election presidential debate — the most of any candidate in modern history.”
But almost instantly after the debate’s conclusion, her campaign called for a rematch.
“Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate,” Harris campaign Chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillion said in a statement. “Is Donald Trump?”
Trump has since offered a range of responses, from a wavering commitment to scoffing at such a notion.
Speaking to Fox News’ Sean Hannity afterward, Trump said Harris only wants a rematch “because she lost.”
“I don’t know, I have to think about it. If you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate?” Trump told Hannity. “When you’re a fighter and you lose, you immediately want a new fight.”
He added: “Maybe, if it was on a fair network, I would do it.”
On Wednesday, Trump was more defiant to the idea in a Truth Social post.
“In the World of Boxing or UFC, when a Fighter gets beaten or knocked out, they get up and scream, ‘I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!’” Trump posted. “Well, it’s no different with a Debate. She was beaten badly last night. Every Poll has us WINNING, in one case, 92-8, so why would I do a Rematch?”
Later that day, Trump told reporters on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania that he “would do NBC and would do Fox, too.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson declined to clarify or elaborate on the former president’s plans.
“I don’t think he would show up to debate her again,” said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a former VP shortlist candidate for Harris. “I think that’s the world we live in.”
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For their part, Trump’s allies want a shot at redemption after an uneven performance. Many Republicans, including Trump, blamed “biased” moderators from ABC News, who frequently fact-checked his claims but lacked the same type of combative interactions with Harris.
“I think any opportunity for Donald Trump to be able to talk directly to the American voters and lay out his vision is something we’d be very interested in conversation about,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said.
David Sivak and Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this report.
