new york – Twelve news organizations said Sunday that the debate is a “rich tradition” that has been part of every general election campaign since 1976, and that presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump will be competing against each other. urged them to agree to a debate.
Trump, who did not participate in the race for the Republican nomination, has signaled his desire to face off against his rival in 2020, but the Democratic president has not indicated any desire to debate him again.
Although invitations have not been formally issued, news organizations have been quick to announce that each side will be participating in the three-president and one vice-presidential forum set up by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. I told him it wasn't too much.
“If there's one thing Americans can agree on in this era of polarization, it's that the stakes in this election are extremely high,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “Against that backdrop, there is no substitute for candidates discussing their vision for our country's future before each other and before the American people.”
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and the Associated Press all signed the letter.
Biden and Trump held two debates in 2020. The third debate was canceled after then-President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus and did not debate remotely.
Asked on March 8 if he planned to participate in a debate with Trump, Biden said, “It depends on what he does.” The president was visibly irritated with his opponent during the freewheeling first debate of 2020, at one point saying, “Will you just shut up?”
“President Trump has already indicated that he is willing to debate anytime, anywhere, anywhere, and now is the time to begin these debates,” Trump campaign staffers Susie Wiles and Chris Lacivita said in a letter last week. Stated.
They cited the seven Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858 and said, “Certainly America today has similar values.”
In 2022, the Republican National Committee resolved to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Trump campaign has not indicated that it will abide by this, but it has attached several conditions. Campaign managers said the committee selected then-Fox News host Chris Wallace in 2020 as a “clearly anti-Trump host” and offered assurances that the committee's debates would be fair and impartial. He said he was looking for.
The Trump campaign also said many Americans would have already cast their votes by the three debate dates set by the committee: September 16, October 1, and October 9. They also hope to bring the schedule forward.
The Biden campaign declined to comment on the media letter, pointing to the president's previous statements. There was no immediate response from the Trump campaign.
But on Saturday, President Trump held a rally in northeastern Pennsylvania with two lecterns set up on stage. One to give a speech and the other to symbolize Biden's refusal to debate. On the second podium was a placard that read, “Anytime.” anywhere. anywhere. ”
Midway through his campaign speech, Trump turned to his right and pointed to a second podium.
“There's a little bit, look at this, it's his,” he said. “Can you see the podium? I'm calling on perverse Joe Biden to debate anytime, anywhere, anywhere. Right there. And we have to debate, because our… Because the country is so badly headed in the wrong direction, and although it's typically a little premature, we have to have the discussion and explain to the American people what the hell is going on. We must,” President Trump said.
C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined in a letter calling for discussion. Only USA Today added its voice.
Certainly, broadcasters can capitalize on the juice that debates can bring. TV news ratings are down significantly compared to the 2020 campaign, but other factors such as cord-cutting and the pandemic, which increased interest in news four years ago, are also at play.
There were no Democratic debates in this presidential election, and interest in the debates declined as President Trump refused to participate in Republican debates.
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Associated Press writer Josh Bork in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
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