Vice President Kamala Harris pushed for a second presidential debate against former President Donald Trump less than one hour after he unequivocally stated he would not participate in another onstage matchup.
"Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate , and I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate," Harris said in her first rally following Tuesday's ABC News-hosted debate against Trump. "Because this election and what is at stake could not be more important.
"On Tuesday night, I talked about issues that I know matter to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America's small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom, and keeping our nation safe and secure," Harris continued before attacking Trump for not having a plan.
"Because, you know, it's all about him, it's not about you," she said. "Well, folks, I said it then, I say it now: It's time to turn the page," Harris said before the crowd broke out in chants of "Turn the page!"
The Charlotte, North Carolina, rally is the first of a two-city swing for Harris. Later in the evening, the vice president will hold another rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, emphasizing the importance of the battleground state Democrats are hoping to flip.
Trump will also hold his first rally since the debate later Thursday evening in Tuscon, Arizona, another battleground state.
Hours before his rally, the former president took to social media to rant against the debate on Truth Social.
"When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, 'I WANT A REMATCH,'" he wrote . "Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night."
He then slammed Harris for not agreeing to several other debates against him.
"She was a no-show at the Fox Debate, and refused to do NBC & CBS," he added. "KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!"
Harris's Tarheel State rallies come after more than 67 million viewers tuned in to watch the Tuesday debate. In comparison, the matchup between President Joe Biden and Trump in June drew a little over 51 million viewers.
Her ability to rattle Trump during the event this week led several Democrats to push for another second debate, some Republican leaders were more critical of Trump and urged for a second debate.
The vice president appeared jubilant among the crowd of supporters in Charlotte who roared in laughter after she mocked Trump's comments during the debate that he had "concepts of a plan" to replace the Affordable Care Act.
At one point, the vice president even deviated from her remarks to address the energy of the crowd.
"We are loving our campaign, aren't we?" she asked. "We're having a good time. I know that."
Harris also touted the growing number of Republicans who are defecting from the GOP to back her presidential campaign. The latest was Alberto Gonzales, an attorney general under former President George W. Bush.
"Over 200 people who worked for President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney have endorsed me for president," she said. "Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Congresswoman Liz Cheney are supporting me as well because, as they said, we have a duty as citizens, to put country above partisanship and defend our Constitution."
Republicans, however, slammed Harris's rally even before it began. The Trump campaign released a memo from pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis slamming Harris's debate performance.
"Last night, we conducted a survey of 1,893 likely voters across our seven key target states," the pollsters wrote. "We found that despite the best efforts of Kamala Harris and media to portray the debate as some kind of overwhelming win for her, voters did not see it this way as support for her remained flat. The only change we saw was a 2-point bump for President Trump in both ballot configurations."
The Republican National Committee hit Harris for being lenient on crime and the southern border.
“North Carolinians are paying the price for Kamala Harris’ soft-on-crime and wide open border policies that have swamped our communities with a wave of break-ins and an increase in homicides," RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said. "Crime is running rampant thanks to statewide police shortages brought by the 'Defund the Police' activists Kamala surrounds herself with – including her running mate Tim Walz."
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But during the Charlotte rally, Harris emphasized that Trump is unfit for another chance at the White House after he previously called to terminate the Constitution.
"Somebody who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States," Harris said.
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