The morning after Vice President Kamala Harris handily defeated Donald Trump in a debate, the Democrat’s campaign announced it wanted to debate him again. The former president initially expressed reluctance to the idea, before declaring a day later that there would be no rematch.

Shortly afterwards, however, the Republican seemed to open the door. NBC News reported that Trump left open the possibility of another debate with Harris, saying it could happen if he was in “the right mood.” The comments led some media networks to believe another event could occur.

CNN invited both major party nominees to participate in a debate on October 23 – Harris quickly accepted the invitation – and Fox News offered the candidates the chance to debate on October 24 or 27 in Pennsylvania. (The network described this week’s offering as “a final pitch.”)

Apparently it’s not going to happen. NBC News reported:

In fact, the 135-word rant that the former president published on his social media platform was quite strange. Trump insisted he “won” the previous debate (he didn’t), claimed he was “leading in all the polls” (he didn’t), and concluded “there’s nothing to discuss” (there’s plenty to debate).

Most notably, Trump added in the same online rant that it is “very late in the process” and that early voting has “already begun.” There is truth to that, but the Republican candidate neglected to mention that during the 2016 and 2020 election cycles, he was more than happy to participate in the late October events while early voting was underway.

What’s different in 2024? I obviously can’t read the former president’s mind, but I have a hunch it might have something to do with the fact that Harris beat him badly in their first matchup, and he probably believes, with good reason, that the second one wouldn’t do. things aren’t getting any better.

On some level, Trump probably realizes that this makes him look like a coward, but in electoral analysis he has apparently concluded that it is better to appear weak than to appear on a debate stage and – again – look worse to look out.

As for historical context, in every election cycle since 1976, major party nominees have debated at least twice. Barring a dramatic and unexpected change of heart, they will meet just once this year.

This message updates our related previous reporting.