Trump, Harris enter the home stretch with question marks around next debate

(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are less than eight weeks away from election day, and whether they will debate again remains in question.

The two faced off for their first-ever debate Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Before this week's debate, neither campaign had agreed to another debate.

Harris' campaign released a statement welcoming a second debate, but whether Trump's team feels the same, and whether the two camps can agree on the network to host and the details of the debate remain major question marks.

"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!' Well, it’s no different with a Debate," Trump wrote on TruthSocial Wednesday morning. "She was beaten badly last night. Every Poll has us WINNING, in one case, 92-8, so why would I do a Rematch?"

Tuesday's debate hit on a broad range of topics – from the economy to immigration to healthcare and overseas conflicts – and featured a plethora of jabs from both candidates.

“There’s no denying that Vice President Harris had a solid performance and was prepared and well-rehearsed,” Colin Reed, a Republican political strategist, told The Center Square.

Several analysts said that Trump missed opportunities to hold Harris accountable for her changes to past stances and her general lack of details on policy issues. Harris was able to bait Trump with comments about the crowd size at his rallies, valuable time when Trump was supposed to be discussing immigration, a generally weak issue for Harris.

“The remaining questions are what impact the debate will have by the time voters go to the polls, and whether she sufficiently made the case to the American public about her vision for the country, which to date, has been marked by vague policy pronouncements and contradictions with her past statements,” Reed continued.

Those contradictions in question include Harris’ past statements about banning fracking , a topic that received little attention at the debate in Pennsylvania, a state where fracking and affordable energy are a key political issue.

Trump touted his performance at the debate while taking a shot at ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.

“I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!” Trump said online immediately after the debate.

The moderators did take fire from others besides Trump, including critics who pointed out that while they aggressively fact-checked Trump, they were far less aggressive with Harris.

“The moderators didn't fact check Kamala Harris on Project 2025,” author and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Abigail Shrier wrote on X during the debate, referring to how Trump has repeatedly disavowed the project. “The moderators didn't fact check Kamala Harris on IVF. They just fact-checked Trump for the fourth time.”

Notably, Taylor Swift endorsed Harris after the debate, a boon to the Harris campaign, though its utility was questioned by Republicans who have often dismissed endorsements by stars in Hollywood and elsewhere as out of touch.

"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," Swift wrote on Instagram. "I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos."

Swift signed the post “childless cat lady,” an apparent reference to 2021 remarks where Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, said the Democratic party was in large part run by miserable, childless cat ladies.

Whether the debate or Swift’s endorsement will actually move the needle in this race remains to be seen. For now, polling shows the two in a dead tie nationally and in the key swing states.

“Kamala Harris is being trained like an actress – lights, cameras, memorized lines – so she can ‘win’ the debate and act her way through this election,” Former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X. “But we’re not choosing the lead in a movie; we’re choosing our Commander-in-Chief. As citizens and voters, we need to recognize our solemn responsibility in this regard.”