U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was willing to debate Republican rival Donald Trump twice before the Nov. 5 election, laying out for the first time his terms for taking on the former president on national television.
Biden called on his opponent to join him for two televised presidential debates in June and September, an offer Trump accepted via a post on his Truth Social platform. Trump recommended more than two debates – and a very large venue “for excitement purposes.”
The Democratic president’s proposal, the first formal offer by his campaign, called for direct negotiations between the Trump and Biden campaigns over the rules, network hosts and moderators for the one-on-one debates.
Biden’s move shows he is willing to take some calculated risks to boost his opinion poll numbers in a race in which he is trailing Trump in key battleground states, as voters remain concerned about his age and his handling of the economy.
“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then he hasn’t shown up for a debate,” Biden said in a video message posted on X. “Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice.”
Trump responded to Biden by calling him “the worst debater” he has ever faced. “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” he posted.
“I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them,” Trump added.
Trump, who refused to debate his rivals in the Republican primary race, has in recent weeks been challenging Biden to engage in a one-on-one matchup with him, offering to debate the incumbent Democrat “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”
In the video, Biden also took a swipe at Trump’s legal troubles with an oblique reference to the weekly Wednesday breaks in Trump’s hush money trial in New York.
“So let’s pick the dates, Donald. I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” Biden said.
SHUNNING THE DEBATE COMMISSION
Biden said he would not take part in the traditional televised showdowns organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, rejecting the nonpartisan organization that has managed presidential debates since 1988.
In a letter, Biden’s campaign chair, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, notified the group that Biden will not be participating in the three general-election debates sponsored by the commission, which are scheduled for Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9.
The Biden campaign wants the debates to start much sooner than the dates proposed by the commission, so voters can see the two candidates side by side before early voting begins in September.
They also want it to be just the two candidates and the moderator — without an in-person audience and the participation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or any other independent or third-party candidates.
Asked about any preference for format or topics, Biden-Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said there were still some details to work out, including network moderators.
“We want to make sure that we have a conversation that is structured on the issues the American people care about,” he said.
(Reuters)Debate. presidential debates, Joe Biden, Donald Trump
