This morning, President Joe Biden appeared on Howard Stern's radio show, and as NBC News reported, the incumbent Democratic president announced some news about his general election plans.
President Joe Biden said Friday in a one-on-one interview with radio host Howard Stern that he is open to debating Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election. “I would be happy to debate him at some point, I don't know when,” Biden said in an interview.
The former president has yet to publicly respond to Biden's comments, but Trump will likely be pleased.
Returning to our recent coverage, it's hard to overstate how eager the presumptive Republican nominee is to participate in the general election debate with Biden. Last summer, for example, a Republican lawmaker said the debate should “absolutely” take place. Shortly after, the former president suggested he would like to see 10 debates instead of the usual three.
Last month, President Trump took to his social media platforms to declare that he was ready to debate the Democratic incumbent “anytime, anywhere, anywhere,” regardless of who hosts the event. (The Republican National Committee's official position is to reject debates held by the Independent Commission on Presidential Debates.)
Earlier this month, the former president headlined a rally in Wisconsin, appearing next to an empty podium. “This is for Joe Biden,” President Trump said. “I'm trying to get him to argue.”
The incumbent and his team, on the other hand, have expressed less enthusiasm. Asked recently if he planned to share the stage with Trump in the fall, Biden said: “That depends on what he does.”
Asked a month ago about his predecessor's obsession with the issue, the president said, “If I were him, I would want him to debate me, too.” He doesn't have anything else to do. ”
With this recent history in mind, Biden's comments to Stern this morning signaled a clear shift. It has also become more likely that at least one general election debate will actually be held this year.
That said, Democrats have credible evidence that they turned down the opportunity to share the stage with their rivals. It's understandable that many voters have chosen to block this from their memories, but four years ago, President Trump's actions during the debate were a national embarrassment. Viewers watched the sitting president lie, rage, jeer, rant, interrupt, and even see one of the debate coaches admit to Trump's failures on stage.
It was also four years ago that Trump used the debate to send a message to neo-fascist groups: “Proud boys, stand back and stand by.”
The 2020 presidential debate was so bad, due in large part to Trump's indefensible tantrums, that the New York Times reported at the time: “The immoral spectacle of Tuesday night's presidential debate caused some shock, some sadness, and some weariness among America's allies and rivals alike,” the report said. Some international observers were deeply disappointed by the display, saying, “Many wondered whether the chaos and atmosphere of this event told us something more fundamental about the state of American democracy.'' I thought so,” he added.
In the years that followed, President Trump's antics, hostility to democracy, and condoning, and in some cases encouraging, political violence became even more evident.
If Biden ultimately agrees to participate, there is likely to be some public benefit, but the presumptive Republican nominee does not necessarily deserve a global platform.
This post will update our latest information Related previous coverage.
