Former US President Donald Trump has said he will not take part in a second TV debate ahead of November’s presidential election.

While Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s candidate, accepted an invitation to the CNN debate on October 23, Republican nominee Trump told a rally it was “too late” as voting had already started.

Harris’s campaign team said that given the former president claimed to have won their previous debate in Philadelphia earlier this month he should accept.

Snap polls taken after that encounter suggested a majority of viewers believed the vice president outperformed her challenger.

After the September 10 debate, Trump said there would be no further debates. Speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday, he claimed victory in that earlier head-to-head and said “it’s just too late” for another.

“Voting has already started,” he said, accusing Harris of seeking another round of sparring “because she’s losing badly.” In a statement on Saturday, Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said that Americans “deserve another opportunity” to see Harris and Trump debate before the November election.

“It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate,” she said. “Debates offer a unique chance for voters to see the candidates side by side and take stock of their competing visions for America.”

On X, formerly Twitter, Harris said she had “gladly” accepted the debate invitation and hoped Trump would also take part.