Twelve news organisations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debates, saying they were a \u201crich tradition\u201d that has been part of every general election campaign since 1976. While Trump, who did not participate in debates for the Republican nomination, has indicated a willingness to take on his 2020 rival, the Democratic president has not committed to debating him again.<\/p>\n
Although invitations have not been formally issued, the news organisations said it was not too early for each campaign to say publicly that it will participate in the three presidential and one vice presidential forums set by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarised time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,\u201d the organisations said in a joint statement. \u201cAmidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.\u201d ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and The Associated Press all signed on to the letter.<\/p>\n
Biden and Trump debated twice in 2020. A third debate was cancelled after Trump, then president, tested positive for COVID-19 and would not debate remotely. Asked on March 8 whether he would commit to a debate with Trump, Biden said, \u201cit depends on his behaviour.\u201d The president was visibly miffed by his opponent in the freewheeling first 2020 debate, at one point saying, \u201cwill you shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a letter this past week that \u201cwe have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, any place and anywhere \u2013 and the time to start these debates is now.\u201d They cited the seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, saying \u201ccertainly today\u2019s America deserves as much.\u201d The Republican National Committee voted in 2022 to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.<\/p>\n
The Trump campaign has not indicated it would adhere to that, but did have some conditions. The campaign managers said the commission selected a \u201cdemonstrably anti-Trump moderator\u201d in then-Fox News host Chris Wallace in 2020 and wants assurances the commission debates are fair and impartial. The Trump campaign also wants the timetable moved up, saying that many Americans will have already voted by September 16, October 1 and October 9, the dates of the three debates set by the commission.<\/p>\n
The Biden campaign declined comment on the news organisations\u2019 letter, pointing to the president\u2019s earlier statement. There was no immediate response from the Trump campaign. But on Saturday, Trump held a rally in northeast Pennsylvania with two lecterns set up on the stage: one for him to give a speech, the other to symbolise what he said was Biden\u2019s refusal to debate him. The second lectern had a placard that read, \u201cAnytime. Anywhere. Anyplace.\u201d Midway through his campaign speech, Trump turned to his right and pointed to the second lectern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a little, look at this, it\u2019s for him,\u201d he said. \u201cSee the podium? I\u2019m calling on Crooked Joe Biden to debate anytime, anywhere, any place. Right there. And we have to debate because our country is going in the wrong direction so badly and while it\u2019s a little bit typically early we have to debate. We have to explain to the American people what the hell is going on,\u201d Trump said. C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. Only one newspaper, USA Today, added its voice.<\/p>\n
Certainly the broadcasters could use the juice that debates may bring. Television news ratings are down significantly compared with the 2020 campaign, although there are other factors involved, such as cord-cutting and the pandemic, that increased interest in news four years ago. There were no Democratic debates this presidential cycle, and Trump\u2019s refusal to participate in the GOP forums depressed interest in them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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