Shortly after the Biden-Harris re-election campaign proposed two televised debates between Joe Biden It is donald trump Before the November presidential vote, both agreed on the date of their first debate: June 27th.
CNN confirmed they would host the first debate of 2024 on that date at 9 p.m. ET in the crucial battleground state of Georgia.
On Wednesday morning, Biden said in a video shared on social media: “Donald Trump lost two debates for me in 2020 and hasn’t shown up for a debate since. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, friend. I’ll even do this twice.
He then said, “Then let’s pick the dates, Donald. I heard you’re free on Wednesdays,” referring to the day off at Trump’s current campaign finance violations trial in New York.
Biden’s proposal went against the tradition of three debates, normally held in the fall, organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Democratic Party officials said in a statement Wednesday that moving up the schedule, reducing the number of debates and ending them earlier reflected changes in “the structure of our elections and the interests of voters.”
The Democrats’ proposal also noted that debates in previous election cycles were only concluded after early voting began and committee debates were “structured as an entertainment spectacle rather than a serious exchange of ideas that reflect the enormous stakes of the election ”.
The commission “has consistently demonstrated an inability to enforce its own rules” in debates and called for a firm time limit for responses and alternating speaking turns “so that time is divided equally and we have an exchange of points of view, not a spectacle of mutual interruption.”
Later on Wednesday morning, Trump accepted Biden’s offer to debate him in June and September, saying Fox News Digital that “it is time for a debate to take place – even if it has to be held through the offices of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which are completely controlled by Democrats and which, as people remember, were caught cheating me with solid debate levels. ”.
He added on Truth Social: “Crooked Joe Biden is the worst debater I’ve ever faced – he can’t string two sentences together.”
That missive concluded with Trump saying, “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, even though Biden is reportedly afraid of crowds — that’s just because he doesn’t understand them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. Let’s get ready to make some noise!!!”
Biden responded to a message about X shortly after Trump’s multiple comments, saying he is ready “for a debate on June 27th. It’s up to you, Donald. Like you said: anywhere, anytime, anywhere.”
I received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. It’s up to you, Donald. Like you said: anywhere, anytime, anywhere.
-Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 15, 2024
The organization of presidential debates has become increasingly complicated, with both parties seeking a competitive advantage. But they are considered highly important to attract the attention of crucial undecided voters, who only then can pay attention to the choice of candidates.
Although not mandatory in any constitutional sense, they are now considered an intrinsic part of the electoral process. But even the Democrats’ proposal presented Wednesday was designed to score points.
“As Donald Trump has said he will debate ‘anytime, anywhere,’ we hope both campaigns can quickly accept invitations for media debates on the above parameters,” wrote Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, in a letter to the commission. , before Trump accepted the challenge. “Americans need a debate about the issues – not a boring debate about debates.”
The Biden campaign said it would work directly with news organizations to organize the debates, sidelining the debate commission that has overseen them since 1988. In CNN’s press release announcing the June 27 debate, they note that it will take place “at the CNN studios in Atlanta.” ” and there’s “no audience will be present.”
Until now, there was uncertainty over whether Biden would agree to debate Trump. Trump skipped all Republican primary debates, pointing to his polling lead in that selection process, and Biden refused to debate his Democratic opponents.
Trump, who leads in the polls in five of the six battleground states, has frequently goaded Biden, saying last month that he was willing to debate his rival “anytime, anywhere, anywhere,” starting “now.”
The Trump campaign called for presidential debates to be held earlier and more frequently so that voters “had the full opportunity” to see the candidates in action and argued that by the first scheduled debate, on September 16, more than 1 Million Americans will likely have already voted, with more than 8.7 million people expected to vote by the third debate, scheduled for October 9th.
Last month, 12 U.S. news organizations called on campaigns to agree to the televised debate schedule.
“If there’s one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it’s that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” said organizations including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, PBS, NBC, NPR and Associated Press in a statement.
“In this scenario, there is simply no substitute for candidates debating among themselves and, before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation,” they added.
In 2020, Biden and Trump debated twice, with a third debate canceled after Trump tested positive for Covid-19.
