Democrats mock Trump's debate reluctance in new nationwide ads

Following Donald Trump's scepticism about debating his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the Democratic National Committee designed advertisements mocking his hesitation.

The ads say, "the convicted felon is afraid to debate" and question whether that is due to his stance on abortion, Reuters reported.

Moreover, this campaign launched on Friday, and the large ads were added to the digital homepages of all the major newspapers in the country.

Meanwhile, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump welcomes an opportunity to compare records but stopped short of saying the former president will debate Harris.

"President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion. Kamala Harris and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and even after birth," Leavitt said.

Earlier in June, the Republican candidate was victorious in his presidential debate against President Joe Biden. Both competitors agreed to a second debate on September 11.

Nevertheless, the 78-year-old changed his statement after Biden stepped down from the race and backed Harris.

Trump stated that he would not debate her because she was not the official candidate. He further added that former President Barack Obama has not yet endorsed her.

“I would not debate her because she was not the official candidate. Former President Barack Obama had yet to endorse her as proof of a lack of support for her bid,” he said.

A day later, Obama endorsed Harris, who on Friday secured the delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

According to the polls, there is a tight contest between Harris and Trump, who had enjoyed a bigger lead over Biden after the first debate.

On Friday, Trump said he didn't need to debate Harris because he was leading in the polls and voters already knew where he and his Democratic rival stood on issues.

“Well, I want to,” Trump said on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria. “Right now I say, ‘Why should I do a debate?’ I’m leading in the polls, and everybody knows her, everybody knows me.”

In response, at a campaign rally on Tuesday, Harris urged Trump to think again.

“I do hope you’ll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage ... because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face," Harris said.