Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has ruled out another debate against Kamala Harris ahead of the US election.

It comes after polls show his Harris, his Democratic rival, won their clash this week.

“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” the former US president wrote on his social media site Truth Social on Thursday (US time).

He repeated the claims during a lengthy speech in Arizona. In the same speech, he doubled down on his claims that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating people’s pets – and expanded the debunked allegations to take in another animal.

“They’re taking the geese – you know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And even walking off with their pets. ‘My dog’s been taken! My dog’s been stolen!’,” he said

“This can only happen … these people are the worst.”

The disturbing conspiracy theory about immigrants eating pets began in the dark corners of social media, before being brought to broader attention by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.

Trump then gave it much greater exposure in a bizarre spray during his debate with Harris on Tuesday.

The allegations have been repeatedly denied by Ohio politicians and authorities.

“Depicting Haitian immigrants as those who are consuming, eating pets, dogs is not only false, they are racist,” Nassau County legislator Carrie Solages told CBS News.

“It’s despicable and dangerous,” fellow legislator Siela Bynoe said.

Polls don’t lie

Trump also debated President Joe Biden in June, before clashing with Harris on Tuesday.

Trump continues to talk up his performance against Harris. However, six Republican donors and three Trump advisers who spoke to Reuters earlier this week said they thought Harris had won, largely because Trump was unable to stay on message.

While Trump said in his post that polls showed he won on Tuesday, several surveys have shown that respondents thought Harris did better. She repeatedly needled Trump, and he was visibly angry at some of her points, including the crowds at his rallies.

Almost immediately after the debate, Harris’s campaign called for a rematch but Trump suggested there was no need. He told Fox News on Wednesday that Tuesday’s clash was “rigged” and he was “less inclined” to do another after his “great night”.

Harris, speaking at a rally shortly after Trump’s post went live, said: “I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate.”

When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, “I WANT A REMATCH.” Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate. She and…

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 12, 2024

The clash between the presidential rivals attracted 67.1 million television viewers, according to Nielsen data.

Among American voters who said they had heard at least something about it, 53 per cent said Harris won and 24 per cent plumped for Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.

The poll showed that 54 per cent of registered voters believed that a single debate between Trump and Harris was enough, while 46 per cent had wanted another.

A majority of debate watchers said Harris outperformed Trump, according to a CNN flash poll released shortly after the debate. YouGov showed 54 per cent of those surveyed said Harris won while 31 per cent said Trump was the victor.

Multiple polls released in the US on Thursday showed Harris also widening her lead over Trump nationally.

American voters go to the polls on November 5.

-with AAP