Twelve news organizations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debates, saying they were a “rich tradition” that have been part of every general election campaign since 1976.
Quick Read
- Twelve major news organizations, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR, and The Associated Press, have called on Joe Biden and Donald Trump to commit to participating in the upcoming presidential debates, highlighting them as a vital tradition in American elections since 1976.
- Despite Trump expressing willingness to debate anytime and anywhere, Biden has not yet committed to participating in debates against Trump for the 2020 election cycle.
- The organizations emphasized the importance of debates for showcasing the candidates’ visions for the future, especially given the high stakes of this election during a polarized period in the nation.
- The news groups urged for public confirmation from each campaign to participate in the three presidential and one vice-presidential debates organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
- The Trump campaign has shown readiness to debate but has conditions regarding the fairness of the Commission on Presidential Debates, criticizing past moderation by Chris Wallace in 2020 as biased.
- The Trump campaign also proposed that the debates be scheduled earlier than planned, citing that many voters will have already cast their votes by the set dates of Sept. 16, Oct. 1, and Oct. 9.
- Biden’s stance on debating Trump remains cautious, linked to Trump’s behavior, with Biden previously expressing frustration during their 2020 debates.
- In a symbolic gesture, Trump displayed an empty lectern at a recent rally in Pennsylvania, challenging Biden to debate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace,” underscoring his campaign’s push for a debate.
- The appeal for debates is also a strategic move for news organizations facing declining viewership, which saw a boost during the 2020 election cycle due to heightened interest in political developments.
The Associated Press has the story:
News organizations urge Biden & Trump to commit to Presidential debates
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP) —
Twelve news organizations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debates, saying they were a “rich tradition” that have 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.
Although invitations have not been formally issued, the news organizations 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.
“If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “Amidst 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.”
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and The Associated Press all signed on to the letter.
Biden and Trump debated twice in 2020. A third debate was canceled 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, “it depends on his behavior.” The president was visibly miffed by his opponent in the freewheeling first 2020 debate, at one point saying, “will you shut up?”
Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a letter this past week that “we have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, any place and anywhere — and the time to start these debates is now.”
They cited the seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, saying “certainly today’s America deserves as much.”
The Republican National Committee voted in 2022 to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Trump campaign has not indicated it would adhere to that, but did have some conditions. The campaign managers said the commission selected a “demonstrably anti-Trump moderator” 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 Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9, the dates of the three debates set by the commission.
The Biden campaign declined comment on the news organizations’ letter, pointing to the president’s 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 symbolize what he said was Biden’s refusal to debate him. The second lectern had a placard that read, “Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace.”
Midway through his campaign speech, Trump turned to his right and pointed to the second lectern.
“We have a little, look at this, it’s for him,” he said. “See the podium? I’m 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’s a little bit typically early we have to debate. We have to explain to the American people what the hell is going on,” Trump said.
C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. Only one newspaper, USA Today, added its voice. The Washington Post declined a request to join.
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’s refusal to participate in the GOP forums depressed interest in them.
