Kamala Harris accepts invitation for 2nd presidential debate, asks Trump to join

Kamala Harris has accepted CNN's invitation to a presidential debate on October 23, with her campaign urging Donald Trump to participate, noting it follows the same format as a previous debate he praised.

In Short

• Donald Trump's campaign silent on new debate invite
• Kamala Harris ready for another debate, her team says
• Trump had said 'there will be no third debate'

Kamala Harris, the US Vice President and Democratic candidate for the presidential election, has accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in another round of presidential debate with Republican rival Donald Trump on October 23, her campaign said on Saturday.

The first debate between the two nominees was held on September 10, after which both of them claimed victory.

“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," Harris' campaign head, Jen O'Malley Dillon, said in a statement.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Immediately after the September 10 debate, Kamala Harris's camp mentioned that she was 'ready' for another one. It was earlier anticipated that this debate might be the only meeting between Harris and Trump in the tightly packed campaign.

The Republican candidate, however, called it his "best debate ever", as he refrained from committing to another debate.

Last week, Trump stated that he would not participate in another debate against Harris before the November 5 election. "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" the former president wrote on his social media site Truth Social. Donald Trump participated in a debate in January with US President Joe Biden, the initial Democratic contender, who quit the race and paved the way for Harris.

In the first debate, both leaders sparred over issues ranging from immigration, violence, abortion, the economic crisis, the Ukraine and Gaza wars, among others. Harris put Trump on the defensive with a series of attacks on his fitness for office, his support of abortion restrictions, and his numerous legal troubles.