Twelve news organizations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debates, saying they were a 바카라rich tradition바카라 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.
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.
바카라If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,바카라 the organizations said in a joint statement. 바카라Amidst 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.바카라
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, 바카라It depends on his behaviour.바카라 The president was visibly miffed by his opponent in the freewheeling first 2020 debate, at one point saying, 바카라Will you shut up.바카라
Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a letter this past week that 바카라we have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, any place and anywhere 바카라 and the time to start these debates is now.바카라
They cited the seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, saying 바카라Certainly today바카라s America deserves as much.바카라
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 바카라demonstrably anti-Trump moderator바카라 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 to comment on the news organizations바카라 letter, pointing to the president바카라s 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 Biden바카라s refusal to debate him. The second lectern had a placard that read, 바카라Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace.바카라
Midway through his campaign speech, Trump turned to his right and pointed to the second lectern.
바카라We have a little, look at this, it바카라s for him,바카라 he said. 바카라See the podium? I바카라m 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 it바카라s a little bit typically early we have to debate. We have to explain to the American people what the hell is going on,바카라 Trump said.
C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. Only one newspaper, USA Today, added its voice.
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 Trump바카라s refusal to participate in the GOP forums depressed interest in them.
