It’s reasonably clear that Donald Trump did not win the presidential debate against Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, something even his usual allies on Fox News grudgingly acknowledged.
However, he sees things differently because Trump has long been incapable of admitting defeat, whether in presidential elections or debates.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump not only claimed victory but heavily implied that he does not plan to debate Harris again:
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Just about no one has argued that Harris was “badly beaten,” and most legitimate polls, including a Fox News one, have stated that most viewers see Harris as the debate’s winner.
Where did the idea come from that 92 percent of respondents believe Trump won the debate?
Results that lopsided tend to come from unscientific online polls. But this one seems to have an even more dubious origin than that.
An X account called akafacehots, which posts frequent disinformation, claimed that “just released ABC polling” stated 92 percent of respondents named Trump the winner of the debate:
BREAKING: According to just released ABC polling, 92% of Americans believe Donald Trump won tonight’s debate. This was a huge victory.
— aka (@akafacehots) September 11, 2024
A result like that, or even one with Harris winning by that sort of margin, is highly unlikely from a legitimate scientific poll. Where did those numbers come from?
akafacehots claims the numbers are “straight off ABCs own website”- while featuring a screenshot that clearly cites not “ABC,” but rather “LiveFoxNow.com/connect.” That’s a Fox-owned website, seemingly associated with its local TV station arm, that conducts online polls.
Straight off ABCs own website pic.twitter.com/tESDlAzXLM
— aka (@akafacehots) September 11, 2024
As for the question of whether we will see another debate, that remains highly uncertain.
The 2024 campaign has been something of a wild wild west when it comes to debates. Traditionally, both parties cooperated with an entity called the Commission on Presidential Debates, which have tended to result in an agreement for two or three debates between the presidential candidates, plus a vice presidential debate, in September and October.
Plus, the debates were not hosted by any one television network, and the full schedule of them was determined before any of them took place.
This year, both campaigns broke from the Commission, leading to direct negotiations among the campaigns and networks. This has led to the unusual schedule, which included the earlier-than-usual June debate between Trump and Joe Biden, leading to Harris and Trump’s debate on Tuesday night; the only remaining scheduled debate is the vice presidential debate on October 1.
Also, each debate has been hosted by a specific network — CNN in June, ABC on Tuesday, and CBS for the VP debate — although other networks have simulcast them.
Will Trump debate Harris again? There’s a good chance, if Trump falls behind in the polls after Tuesday, his advisers can persuade him to get momentum back by debating again. But it’s also virtually certain that whoever is chosen to moderate, Trump will have some issue with them.
In a Fox News appearance Wednesday morning, Trump implied that he would agree to a Fox News-hosted debate, but only if Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham or Jesse Watters was allowed to moderate. Fox, prior to the debate Tuesday, proposed to host a debate, with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum moderating, although Trump said in the same interview that, due to comments they made after the debate, that he would not approve them.
