WASHINGTON – On Thursday, former President Donald Trump announced he will not participate in a second debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, facing backlash from Democrats after being put on the defensive during their previous debate on Tuesday.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump pointed fingers at both Harris and President Joe Biden, noting that he and Biden had their debate on June 27, prior to Biden withdrawing from the race, which led Harris to take the lead.

“KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON HER INACTION OVER THE LAST NEARLY FOUR YEARS. NO THIRD DEBATE WILL HAPPEN!” Trump declared.

In response, Harris maintained a calm demeanor, stating at a campaign event in North Carolina that “we owe it to the voters to hold another debate.” Her campaign called for a second Trump-Harris debate just minutes after Tuesday’s event concluded.

Democrats have criticized Trump, suggesting he is shaken by polling results that show Harris significantly won the debate on Tuesday. A CNN/SSRS poll reported that among debate viewers, 63% believed Harris performed better compared to 37% for Trump.

ABC News/538 highlighted data from various polls indicating that “57 percent of national debate watchers said Harris had a stronger performance, while only 34 percent favored Trump.”

In his Truth Social post, Trump cited other polls claiming he had outperformed Harris, though these seemed to reference online surveys with participants self-selecting.

During a rally in Tucson, Arizona—his first campaign gathering since the debate—Trump spent considerable time defending how he did, criticizing the moderators from ABC News, and attacking both Harris and Biden on economic and immigration matters.

Before revealing his decision to skip another debate, Trump had been non-committal about participating.

“When a fighter loses a match, their first words are often, ‘I WANT A REMATCH,'” Trump stated.

Critics quickly condemned his choice.

Democratic strategist Charlotte Clymer remarked, “Let’s make it clear: Donald Trump got thoroughly beaten by Vice President Harris in that debate. She promptly agreed to a second debate, and he has now declined. Trump is showing cowardice.”