Biden And Trump Agree To Face Off, 2 Debates Scheduled For June And September
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debate each other twice in the coming months. The first debate is set for June 27 on CNN with a second scheduled for September 10 on ABC.
This agreement comes after Biden’s campaign formally informed the Commission on Presidential Debates that the president would not participate in its previously scheduled fall debates. Instead, the Biden campaign proposed an altered schedule with debates in late June and early September.
Trump quickly accepted the revised schedule, saying in a Truth Social post, “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September.” He added that he would “strongly recommend” more than the two debates proposed.
The Trump team also called for the candidates to participate in four total debates, but the Biden campaign sidestepped questions about that request on Wednesday.
According to a CNN announcement, the June 27 debate will be held in the network’s Atlanta studios with no audience present. Moderators for the debate and additional details will come at a later time.
The proposed schedule could be seen as indicative of the Biden campaign’s desire to get voters involved in the political process as soon as possible. The campaign has repeatedly waved away negative polling by saying most Americans aren’t tuned into the electoral process until much closer to the election, but he’s not looking so good at this point in his reelection campaign.
Calling for earlier debates might also help weed out third-party candidates that could cause problems for both Trump and Biden. Candidates need to meet certain criteria concerning ballot access, polling and constitutional eligibility to qualify. Cutting into a candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s timing may be exactly the point.
Or maybe there’s another angle here.
As the candidates prepare for the upcoming debates, Trump is likely to be disappointed by Biden’s refusal to participate in more than two debates. If he wants a third, he’ll have to make his opponent desperate for another one by winning the upcoming debates and maintaining an upward trajectory in the polls.
