Thursday's presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be the first since 1988 that is not organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The commission has traditionally been responsible for planning and producing all presidential debates, including choosing the venue, selecting the moderator, writing the rules and setting the schedule. The decision to go through the nonpartisan organization is a major departure from tradition. It comes after both sides criticized some of the CPD's rules and the organization's schedule. Trump's dispute with the CPD dates back to his first presidential campaign in 2016. Trump blamed the commission for audio problems in his debate with Hillary Clinton and claimed the CPD was biased against him. “The problem is that the so-called Commission on Presidential Debates is solidified with Trump haters and Never Trumpers. Three years ago they were forced to publicly apologize for adjusting my microphone in the first debate criticizing Hillary,” Trump wrote on Twitter in 2019. In 2022, the Republican National Committee unanimously passed an amendment to ban Republican candidates from participating in debates produced by the CPD, echoing Trump's claims that the committee was unfair to Republicans. “Today, the Republican National Committee voted to withdraw from the biased CPD and will find a new and better debate platform so that future candidates are not forced to experience a biased debate,” said Ronna McDaniel, who was the chair of the Republican National Committee at the time. McDaniel also pointed out that CPD's debate schedule is too late in the year and that it uses moderators who worked for candidates as reasons for severing ties. The Biden campaign agreed with the schedule, adding that candidates have had a hard time in the past to avoid violating the debate rules, which is part of their dissatisfaction with the committee. “The commission's model of organizing big, expensive, big-show shows is not necessary for or conducive to good debates,” Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote. “Debates should be conducted for American voters watching on television and at home, not as entertainment for loud, disruptive partisans and donors who consume valuable debate time with loud applause and heckling.” In May, the campaigns signed contracts to participate in two debates hosted by the two news networks: CNN's Thursday debate and ABC News' September 10 debate. On June 24, CPD terminated its contracts with the venues it had selected for its 2024 debate schedule. “CPD stands ready to sponsor the 2024 debates if circumstances change,” it added. CPD began hosting the debates in 1988 as a successor to the League of Women Voters, which sponsored the presidential debates from 1976 to 1984. CPD's removal from the 2024 debates leaves the future of the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization unclear.
Thursday's presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be the first since 1988 that is not hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
The committee has been responsible for planning and running all presidential debates, including choosing the venue, selecting the moderator, establishing the rules and setting the schedule.
The decision to bypass the bipartisan organization is a major departure from tradition and comes after both sides criticized some of the Chicago Police Department's rules and organization's timeline.
Trump's feud with the Chicago Police Department dates back to his first presidential campaign in 2016, when Trump blamed the police for audio issues during a debate with Hillary Clinton and claimed the force was biased against him.
“The problem is that the so-called Commission on Presidential Debates is populated by Trump haters and Never-Trumpists. Three years ago they were forced to publicly apologize for adjusting my microphone in the first debate with that Hillary thug,” Trump said. Post to X(formerly Twitter) was founded in 2019.
In 2022, the Republican National Committee unanimously passed an amendment to ban GOP candidates from participating in debates produced by the Chicago Police Department, echoing President Trump's contention that the committee was unfair to Republicans.
“Today, the Republican National Committee voted to withdraw from biased debates. We will find a new and better debate platform to ensure that future candidates are not forced to go through biased debates to make their case to the American people,” Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said at the time.
McDaniel also pointed to the Chicago Police debate's schedule being too close to the end of the year and its use of a moderator who had worked for the candidates as reasons for cutting ties.
The Biden campaign agreed to the schedule, adding that past struggles to stop candidates from violating debate rules had contributed to frustration with the commission.
“The committee model of organizing expensive, large-scale spectacles is unnecessary for and does not lead to good debate,” Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote. “Debates should be conducted for the American voters watching on television or at home, not as entertainment for spectators against loud or disruptive partisans and donors who consume valuable debate time with the spectacle of rowdy approval and heckling.”
In May, the two campaigns struck a deal to appear in two debates hosted by the two news networks: CNN's Thursday debate and ABC News' Sept. 10 debate.
On June 24, the CPD terminated its contract with the venue it had selected to host the 2024 debate, adding that “should circumstances change, CPD remains open to sponsoring the 2024 debate.”
The CPD began hosting the debates in 1988 as a successor to the League of Women Voters, which hosted presidential debates from 1976-1984.
CPD's exclusion from the 2024 debates has put the future of the nonpartisan nonprofit in jeopardy.
