Trump reacts to ABC News Presidential Debate performance, says whether he's open to a second with Harris
Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris squared off for the first time in Philadelphia
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former President Trump reacted to his performance at the ABC News Presidential Debate late Tuesday night on "Hannity," saying he believes it was his "best debate ever."
"I thought it was really good. We had three against one, but I anticipated it," he said, referring to debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, who at times fact-checked and pressed the former president on his answers.
ABC DEBATE MODERATORS SPARK FURY FOR AGGRESSIVE FACT-CHECKING OF TRUMP, EASY TREATMENT OF HARRIS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Davis asked Trump a question about his stance on abortion, and he claimed some states allow abortion in the ninth month of a pregnancy.
"They even have, and you can look at the governor of West Virginia [Virginia], the previous governor… not the current governor, who is doing an excellent job, but the governor before, he said, ‘The baby will be born, and we will decide what to do with the baby,’ in other words, we’ll execute the baby. And that’s why I did that," Trump said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Davis interjected after he finished his remarks, saying, "There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.
Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Trump about reports Harris’ campaign wants a second debate in October, and whether he would be open to it. Fox News has extended a formal invitation to both the Trump and Harris campaigns for a second debate next month.
"She wants it because she lost," Trump responded. "I don't know. I have to think about it. But if you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn't do it. Why should I do another debate? She immediately said we want another debate. That's... you know what happens when you're a prizefighter, and you lose? You immediately want a new fight."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Would you be inclined to say yes?" Hannity asked.
"Maybe if it was on a fair network, I would do that," Trump said.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump shake hands during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The 2024 GOP presidential candidate also hit Harris for her answers to some of the debate questions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I always say I've been preparing all my life for these debates. You know, you can't go in like she did, she goes into a room, and she memorized lines more or less," he told Hannity.
Trump and Harris received positive and negative reactions to their respective debate performances.
Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume said the former president "had a bad night."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We heard so many of the old grievances that we’d long thought that Trump had learned were not winners politically," Hume said after the debate.
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Former Democratic congressman and "The Five" co-host Harold Ford, Jr. acknowledged that Harris could have provided more specifics in her answers and better addressed the changes in her policy positions.