Washington – President Biden and former President Donald Trump are scheduled to go head-to-head in presidential debates on June 27th and September 10th, and after a flurry of activity on Wednesday, the two White House candidates are scheduled to go head-to-head in presidential debates on June 27 and September 10. Accepted an invitation to participate in an event. .
Plans for the debate came together quickly after the president's campaign said in a letter that it was willing to debate his Republican opponent twice before the November election. That sparked a series of competing proposals and social media posts from potential Democratic and Republican candidates, and within hours, two debates scheduled for June and September. The peak has been reached.
Mr. Biden then announced on social media that he had accepted an invitation to participate in a debate hosted by CNN on June 27, and urged Mr. Trump to participate.
“I have received and accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in the debate on June 27th. Thank you, Donald. As you said, anywhere, anytime, anywhere,” Biden said in his speech. post.
CNN then announced that it would host a debate between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump at its Atlanta studios on June 27th at 9pm ET. CNN said there will be no spectators “to allow candidates to maximize the time allotted for the debate.”
CNN outlined five criteria for eligibility to participate in the debate. Candidates must:
- Constitutionally qualified to serve as president
- Submit your candidacy to the Federal Election Commission
- Put your name on the ballot in enough states to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency
- Agree to the debate rules and format
- Scored at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered voters or potential voters who met CNN's criteria.
So far, only two presidential candidates have qualified based on these criteria: Biden and Trump. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent, is unlikely to take the stage given the voting requirements and the number of electoral districts. Secure access to your ballot.
The CNN debate is scheduled to take place before the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions, when delegates from each party choose their presidential candidates.
Biden then announced that he had received and accepted an invitation to participate in the second debate hosted by ABC News on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump quickly announced that he would be participating. His campaign is pushing for two more debates in July and August.
President Kennedy responded to the debate by criticizing both candidates as unpopular, accusing them of “conspiring to lock America up” in a rematch of the 2020 election.
“They are trying to remove me from the debate because they are afraid I will win. Keeping strong candidates out of the debate undermines democracy,” he said in a statement. social media posts.
How did the discussion come together?
In a letter from the Biden campaign sent early Wednesday, Jen O'Malley Dillon, the president's re-election campaign chair, proposed holding one debate in late June, perhaps after a resolution. did. President Trump's criminal trial is underway in New York and Biden's visit to the G7 summit in Italy. President Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments to adult film stars, and has pleaded not guilty. The Biden campaign has proposed holding a second debate in early September.
President Trump appeared to be quick to accept the Biden campaign's proposed June and September debate schedule, saying he was “ready and willing” to debate his Democratic opponent during the two proposed timeslots. Yes,” he wrote on social media. But the would-be Republican presidential nominee said he would “strongly recommend” two or more debates in “very large venues.”
“Please let me know when you're coming,” Trump wrote.
in him my own video Sharing it on social media, the president urged his Republican opponents to confront him.
“Donald Trump lost to me twice in debates in 2020 and hasn't come to a debate since. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, good luck today. Hey, dude, I'll do it too.' So let's set a date, Donald, I hear you're free on Wednesday,'' Biden said. President Trump's criminal trial will not begin Wednesday.
Donald Trump lost to me twice in debates in 2020. He has not appeared in a debate since then.
Now he acts as if he wants to argue with me again.
Well, good luck today, friends. pic.twitter.com/AkPmvs2q4u
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 15, 2024
In addition to making it clear that Biden plans to take on Trump, O'Malley Dillon also said that the president will not participate in debates hosted by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has overseen presidential debates since 1988. Stated.
Instead, O'Malley Dillon said, Biden will participate in debates sponsored by news organizations. She cited the committee's reluctance to force rules on candidates during the 2020 debates, as well as the large number of audience members in attendance that disrupted the event. The first debate was held between Trump and Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. fell into chaos The hosts struggled to regain control of the event as Mr. Trump repeatedly interrupted and outspoken Mr. Biden.
In mid-March, Mr. Biden secured the Democratic presidential nomination and Mr. Trump secured the Republican nomination. Setting up a rematch Winner of the 2020 White House Contest.
The Commission on Presidential Debates made the announcement on its website. announced in november Preparations are underway for three presidential debates this year. The committee also said it was ready to implement the plan for the debate.
“The American people deserve a substantive debate between the leading candidates for president and vice president,” the department said in a statement. “Non-partisan [CPD] was founded in 1987 to ensure that such discussions occur and reach the widest television, radio and streaming audiences. ”
The commission's three presidential debates were scheduled to be held in September and October at universities in Texas, Virginia, and Utah.
Biden's debate terminology
Under terms set by the Biden campaign, the debate must be hosted by the broadcasting organization that oversaw the 2016 Republican primary debate, in which Mr. Trump participated, and the 2020 Democratic primary debate, in which Mr. Biden participated. These terms are CBS News, ABC News, CNN, and Telemundo. Telemundo and CNN host the Republican primary debate, which President Trump attended in 2016.
playing cards avoided the Republican primary debate In preparation for the 2024 election, he said he would accept Biden is “anytime, anywhere, anywhere.”
The Biden campaign continued that the debate should be one-on-one, a condition that would keep Kennedy away from the stage.
O'Malley Dillon said that limiting the debate to Biden and Trump “allows voters to compare the only two candidates who have a statistical chance of winning the Electoral College, and the We will no longer waste debate time on candidates who have no hope of winning.”
The camp said that the broadcast host should “choose the host from among the regular staff to avoid 'doorbelling' and partisanship, and that both parties' time should be divided equally and that answers should be answered to avoid discord.” We need to set a time limit for responses.” “A scene of mutual interruption.” O'Malley Dillon said candidates' microphones should only be activated when it's their turn to speak.
As for the vice presidential debate, the Biden campaign has proposed holding the first event in late July after the Republican National Convention and following the same terms as presidential debates.
“Since Donald Trump has said he will debate 'any time, any place,' we expect both sides to quickly accept an invitation for a broadcast media debate on the above terms,” she said. “Americans need a discussion about issues, not a boring discussion about arguments.”
Ron Klain, the former White House chief of staff who served Mr. Biden in various roles for nearly 40 years, said he would again help his former boss prepare for a televised debate with Mr. Trump.
crane got off He was named White House chief of staff last year and also serves as Airbnb's chief legal officer. He confirmed in a text message to CBS News that he plans to use his vacation time to help Biden prepare.
“Everyone spends their vacation in different ways, and this is mine,” Crain said.
He previously helped Al Gore, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton prepare for debates with their respective primary or general election opponents.
News of Crain's vacation plans was first reported by The New York Times.
President Trump's debate terms
In their own proposal, senior Trump campaign advisers Chris Lacivita and Susie Wiles said the former president accepted the Biden campaign's proposal for a September debate, but pushed for more than one debate. Ta.
They proposed holding one debate a month in June, July, August, and September in addition to the vice presidential debate. President Trump has not announced who his running mate will be, but expected to be announced His vice presidential selection comes closer to the Republican National Convention, which begins in Milwaukee on July 15.
“The additional dates will give voters the best opportunity to learn about each candidate's record and vision for the future,” LaCivita and Wiles wrote in a memo to O'Malley Dillon and the Biden campaign. “We believe the American people deserve more than what the Biden administration is offering.”
Aaron Navarro and Jake Rosen contributed to this report.
