President Biden and former President Trump dealt a major blow to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) on Wednesday, questioning the usefulness of the organization’s advancement.
Biden’s campaign told the committee it would work directly with news organizations to organize two debates this summer with Trump, who quickly accepted his rival’s proposal.
The development raised the possibility that the commission, which has handled presidential debates every cycle since 1988, could become irrelevant after 2024.
“I think this could be the CPD’s last gasp,” said Doug Brinkley, a presidential historian and professor at Rice University. “This should be their job, and if they can’t get a result, that means they are moving into the field of extinction.”
The commission had already announced three presidential debates, scheduled for September 16, October 1 and October 9, as well as a vice-presidential debate on September 25.
But the Biden and Trump campaigns have had behind-the-scenes discussions in recent weeks about how to organize debates and bypass the commission. These conversations were first reported by The Washington Post.
“It looks like it might be a relic of an earlier time,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican in the upper chamber. “It seems like it’s made for this cycle. I don’t know what that means in the long term.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), who is reportedly on Trump’s list to be his running mate, told The Hill that the CPD is likely an “outdated” debate system, given the way voters consume politics.
“When the two main candidates say they don’t participate in the commission, I’m not surprised, no,” Rubio said. “I think it was just a matter of time, given the nature of modern politics.”
Tensions with the commission have been common over the past 45 years, but appear to have peaked during the last two election cycles.
Trump criticized the commission during the 2016 debates, when the commission acknowledged technical problems with his microphone. He threatened to sit out the 2020 debates, citing frustrations with the commission.
Both Biden and Trump disagreed with the group’s handling of the 2020 debates. Biden and his team were furious that COVID-19 protocols were not more strictly enforced during the first debate, especially when Trump tested positive for the virus days ago. after.
Meanwhile, Trump raged against moderator Chris Wallace, who repeatedly berated Trump for interruptions.
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who participated in three committee debates in 2012, indicated he was not surprised by the news. The former GOP presidential candidate had his own verbal spat with the CPD over the selection of then-CNN anchor Candy Crowley as host of the second debate between him and then-President Obama after she fact-checked him live during the event . The CPD agreed that having her moderate the debate was a “mistake”.
“I think it would have been very difficult to get the two to come together under something that the presidential debate commission would have [structured],” Romney said.
“Apparently, both candidates decided that they would be better served by creating their own debate, and I don’t think they want to have [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] there – a wild card. Not surprised [by that],” Romney said. “I’m all for a debate, and if they can resolve something, great.”
In a statement, the commission said it would remain ready to execute its plans for three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate.
“The American public deserves substantive debates from the leading candidates for president and vice president,” the commission said.
“Our 2024 sites, all higher education sites, are prepared to host debates on dates chosen to accommodate early voters,” the group added. “We will remain ready to execute this plan.”
The Trump campaign in recent weeks has called on the commission to schedule more debates and hold them earlier, citing the start of early voting in many states between the first and second debates. The commission pushed back, arguing that the September 16 debate would be the first televised general election debate ever held.
Biden remained coy about whether he would agree to a debate with Trump, but his campaign on Thursday issued a letter to the commission detailing why it was rejecting the organization and proposing to work directly with news entities to organize the debates with Trump.
“There are a number of reasons why the Presidential Commission’s years-long model for these debates is out of step with changes in the structure of our elections and the interests of voters,” Biden campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote. in a letter to the organization Wednesday.
O’Malley Dillon cited three main issues with the commission: that its scheduled debates do not end until well after early voting begins; that the debates are “structured as an entertainment show” and not a “serious exchange of ideas”; and that the commission was unable to enforce its own rules.
Despite dual support for bypassing the commission, some lawmakers indicated they were dismayed that it could have a negative effect on their states. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who was Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate and feuded with former Vice President Mike Pence (R), said he was concerned about the commission’s second planned debate in historically black Virginia StateUniversity. scrapped. The event was set to be the first debate held at a historically black university or college (HBCU).
“Whatever they decide to do and whoever they choose to moderate, President Biden and Donald Trump should not abandon the…historic debate at Virginia State University,” Kaine said. “This is a historic thing. … Don’t air the first presidential debate at an HBCU and complicate it.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) also expressed regret that the first debate will be moved from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
The CNN and ABC debates should take place in the TV studios.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
