Trump says he won't debate Harris again

vice president Harris is focusing these days at least today in North Carolina but tomorrow she'll turn her attention back to a key blue wall State she'll have an event in Pennsylvania where our polling at CBS News finds the candidates tied Governor Tim Walls is barnstorming Michigan in Wisconsin tomorrow where the race is also very tight Molly ball and Finn Gomez joined us now Molly is a senior political correspondent at the Wall Street Journal Finn is CBS news's political director let's begin by listening to vice president Harris on the campaign Trail today in North Carolina just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails right he he who has vowed that if reelected he'll be a dictator on day one that he will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies and has called for the quote termination of the Constitution of the United States of America we are hearing from former president Trump that he will not participate in a debate what do you make of it well it's consistent with uh the spin that he Unleashed when he first came out into the spin room immediately after the debate claiming that it was because he won uh that she wants another chance at him uh but I think there's a pretty resounding consensus at this point that he actually lost the debate uh and his advisers would probably prefer that he not debate again and and risk a repeat of that performance so I think we're going to hear her continue to taunt him continue to claim that he's afraid to face her the question is uh will that get to him and is there any chance he changes his mind I I would love to see another debate B he's he's done this before though it's kind of his Mo his pattern that we've seen even before the ABC debate where he basically said he you know he he he seed some doubt that he was even going to show up uh so I I mean frankly I mean Could That Could AB the ABC and Philly debate be the last debate it could be but I do think that there is a potential that he does change his mind we've seen it happen before what about uh vice president Harris she as Nancy ctis said earlier in the program is trying to Signal this is a new aggressive phase of the campaign what does that mean it's a good question it seems kind of the same to me they do say that she's going to be doing uh more media interviews engaging more with local media so that would certainly be a bit of a change she's done a little bit of that so far but not a lot uh but you know going to the swing States and giving speeches is basically what she's been doing uh all along uh so it may be more of a branding exercise than anything obviously with eight weeks to go before the election both of these candidates are going to be on the campaign Trail every chance they get out in those swing States every chance they get I asked the New Mexico Governor about the impact of the debate inside the Trump campaign what are your sources telling you Finn about how they're processing what happened and whether it will have an impact I think uh you know what what I've been hearing from my sources close to the campaign is that you know the spin is that it it won't have an impact the debate don't matter but clearly we saw that the June 27th debate did have an impact a very sizable impact uh look I I I do think that you know I I think at this point which is 54 days to go until election day voters are starting to turn in and starting to make if they haven't made their decision they're getting close to their decision I think every single uh uh Factor matters and I think a pull like a debate does matter does have an impact especially one in Pennsylvania you talked about the importance of these blue wall states there is no greater state of importance than the Battleground State uh the the Keystone State so I think it does matter uh the vice presidential debate is going to be hosted by CBS news on October 1st sometimes these are very high stakes you have Sarah Palin's showdown in 2008 with Joe Biden in the vice presidential debate got a lot of eyeballs what are you looking for with the upcoming vice presidential debate I think it's going to be fascinating to see these two candidates who are unknown quantities to most Americans uh and to see what approach they take you know we've seen both of them really embody that traditional uh running mate uh role of the attack dog they've both been extremely aggressive out there in attacking the opposition which is not to say that the nominees themselves haven't been pretty aggressive on the attack uh but I think that means it's going to be a very feisty debate between Tim Walls and JD Vance uh and I think both of them have colored perceptions of the overall ticket to some extent you know we see walls is the most popular member of either ticket uh Vance is the least popular member of either ticket uh and uh and and I think that they you to the extent that they have a pretty wellestablished profile on on the right on the left it has helped voters sort of understand where these nominees are coming from and when you're looking at the map Finn these days as political director what are you paying attention to uh I'm looking at North Carolina uh I think North Carolina uh there's been a lot of talk and I just did so myself about Pennsylvania but I think North Carolina has has a big role as well I mean I think I think Trump needs that state to win his path to 270 uh is hinges upon his Success North Carolina from the get-go even when Biden was at the top of the ticket uh the uh the Harris campaign uh have told us they have they have emphasized the the significance of North Carolina as well they feel that they can turn it blue it would be the first time since no Mama did in 2008 uh but there's been an influx of Northerners who have move moved there since the pandemic you know it's it's changed so I think I am looking I think it's I think it's critical uh to both uh campaigns and both of their paths to 270 Molly when you look at the final few weeks of this campaign and you're thinking through conceptually what you want to write about what you want to cover you write major profiles as well as daily journalism what what's on your mind now post debate well I've been thinking a lot about about the map about the Senate map as well I have a story coming out on the Ohio Senate race which is going to be pivotal for both parties and which although Ohio sadly for me because I love Ohio is not a swing state anymore uh it's a fascinating state in is Senator shered Brown in trouble where I absolutely he's in trouble I mean this is a state that Trump won by eight points twice which means that the only and is expected to win it by about the same margin again and so uh and and it's also just a fascinating couple of profiles of these two candidates uh sh Brown a populist Democrat Bernie Marino a sort of JD Vance style populist new style Trump Republican uh and so I I I think and and as you know I also am am a Westerner I'm fascinated by those Sun Belt states I'm fascinated by Arizona and Nevada and which way they're going to go and also the Senate races in both of those States so there's a lot of geography a lot of uh good trips to take before this election is over you reported in Las Vegas right for that's right I was a reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal and now at the Wall Street Journal Finn Gomez Molly ball we really appreciate you coming by thank you