Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he won't debate his presidential opponent Vice President Kamala Harris again because they have nothing else to discuss.
"We just don't think it's necessary," Trump told Telemundo Arizona in an exclusive interview ahead of his campaign rally in Tucson Thursday.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
"I had one with as you know, Joe, it was quite a famous debate, and then we had another one the other day and it was both very successful. In fact, my poll numbers went up since the debate and we think we've discussed everything and I don't think they want it either."
The former president in a Truth Social post earlier Thursday claimed that he won his first debate against Harris on Tuesday night, citing as evidence the fact that Harris' campaign had challenged him to another debate shortly after the first one ended.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
The post read in part, "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!"
Harris said at a rally in North Carolina on Thursday that she and Trump "owe" voters another debate, NBC News reported.
“Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate, and I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate, because this election and what is at stake could not be more important,” Harris said.
The presidential running mates, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are still set to meet on Oct. 1 for their only vice-presidential debate.
In the interview Thursday, Trump was also asked about the sensational and baseless claim he made during the debate that Haitian immigrants in Ohio have been eating dogs and other pets; he did not back down, saying he'd heard the information "from local authorities, but also from the newspapers."
Baseless rumors have spread on social media for days claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are abducting and eating pets. Police there knocked down the stories Monday in a statement saying they hadn’t seen any documented examples.
“There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” the statement said.
