Harris intends to tease Trump during the second debate while watching an Alabama football match.
The Harris team has organized a small plane to pass over Tuscaloosa during the match, carrying a banner that reads, "Trump's Chickening Out on 2nd Debate."
This move isn't just intended for spectators rooting for the Crimson Tide or the Georgia Bulldogs in the stands, as a campaign representative explains to CNN. Alongside this aerial advertisement, Harris' campaign will also broadcast a nationwide ad during one of college football's most anticipated games. In this ad, she urges Trump to confront her on the debate stage yet again.
The advertisement's voiceover declares, "Winners never back down from a tough challenge. Champions are ready at any given moment. But losers, they complain, waver, and take their toys home."
The vice president's team has accepted CNN's invitation for a second debate later this month, but Trump has, so far, rebuffed this proposal, asserting the October 23 date is "too close" for another confrontation as voting has already commenced in certain states. The 2020 and 2016 conflicts included mid-October debates in which Trump participated.
Despite his public statements, Trump has reportedly entertained the idea of sharing the debate stage with Harris once more, sources inform CNN. A number of his advisors have proposed this encounter as a means to underscore the fact that Harris has had over four years in office to keep her campaign pledges, a message some of Trump's supporters felt he failed to relay convincingly during their earlier encounter in Philadelphia.
However, some of Trump's advisors believe he is unwavering in his conviction that a rematch isn't in the offing. The former president himself has suggested it could depend on his humor.
A second encounter could potentially benefit Harris as well. While several surveys, including the New York Times-Siena College poll, revealed that viewers overwhelmingly believed Harris came out on top in the debate, it didn't generate a noticeable surge in the polls, and the race remains a dead heat.
The advertisement from the Harris campaign targets Trump's decision to avoid the debate, stating, "Trump thinks debates are tough challenges he should avoid, but winners don't chicken out." Following his assertion that the October 23 date is too close, the text mentions, "Despite his public statements, Trump has reportedly entertained the idea of another debate, according to CNN sources."
