CNN host predicts what would make Trump 'step back in the ring' for another Harris debate

A lot's riding on the vice presidential debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz, including the possibility of another presidential debate.

Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CNN to debate Donald Trump on Oct. 23, which the former president claims is "too late" because many voters will have already cast their ballots, but CNN's Michael Smerconish argued that he might be forced to take part if Vance flops in his Oct. 1 face-off with Walz.

"I think that the training that he received at the Yale Law School has put him in a position to be strong in that posture, but the styles are different," Smerconish said. "You know, it's interesting because I've already interviewed Tim Ryan. I've already interviewed [former Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate] Scott Jensen – they say the same thing about their opponents. Jensen says about Walz and Ryan says about Vance, each is very slippery, each is very hard to pin down. Each is going to come across with a Middle America tight message, but it's hard to hold their feet to the fire. It's almost as if both well, not almost as if it's as if they each have regrets about not doing something different in the debate opportunities that they had."

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A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll of swing states shows Harris with a 7-point lead among likely voters in Nevada and a 5-point lead in Pennsylvania, while she's up 3 points in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin and 2 points in North Carolina, and the pair are tied in Georgia.

"I think today you'd rather be Harris than Trump, and Tuesday night, given the closeness of this race, I think is really significant," Smerconish said. "If I'm Donald Trump, despite what I've told the media so far about whether there there'll be a future debate, I think I've got my eyes on how J.D. Vance performs, and if it doesn't go well for Vance I think it increases the odds that Trump desires to get back in the ring with the vice president."

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