Washington
CNN
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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both accepted invitations from CNN to participate in the June 27 debate, a historically early showdown that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign.
“I received and accepted an invitation from @CNN to the debate on June 27th. Regards, Donald. Like you said, anytime, anywhere, anywhere,” Biden said. As mentioned in X’s post.
A Trump campaign official later told CNN that Trump accepted the offer.
The news is the latest development in a rapidly escalating tit-for-tat over the dispute between the two political rivals. The Biden campaign earlier called on President Trump to participate in two presidential debates sponsored by news organizations and told the Commission on Presidential Debates that the president would not participate in the previously scheduled fall debates. was officially notified. The former president immediately said he would participate in previous debates, telling radio host Hugh Hewitt that he was open to any moderator.
Mr. Biden just recently said he would be happy to debate Mr. Trump, but although he did not commit to the format of the debate, he told radio host Howard Stern that he would be “happy to debate it.” Told. In a social media video and a subsequent letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Biden campaign laid out the terms of the proposal, including possible debate dates in June and September.
A video released Wednesday morning of Biden speaking directly to camera was a more direct challenge.
“Donald Trump lost to me twice in debates in 2020. He hasn’t appeared in a debate since. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. “We’re doing it right,” Biden said in a direct-to-camera video released Wednesday.
“Well, good luck today, I’ll do it twice. So let’s set a date, Donald, I hear you’re free on Wednesday,” Biden continued, alluding to Trump’s court schedule. In his letter, the Biden campaign acknowledged that the first debate would likely take place after Trump’s hush money criminal trial.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, President Trump accepted the revised schedule and said he is “ready and willing to debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September.” “We strongly recommend it” over the two proposed forums, he said. . A senior adviser to President Trump told CNN that he is “ready to debate” Biden and is considering the terms, but is eager to meet him on stage.
Private conversations between the Biden and Trump campaigns surrounding the debate have been occurring in recent weeks, largely focused on their mutual disdain for the Commission on Presidential Debates and potential scenarios for circumventing the commission. three people familiar with the discussions told CNN. The Washington Post first reported these conversations.
There are still significant differences in what each candidate wants from a debate. In the letter, the Biden campaign proposed a key change that would make the debates less of a spectacle and more substantive: candidates debating without a studio audience.
“As was the case with the first televised debate in 1960, a television studio staffed only by candidates and moderators is a better and more cost-effective way to focus solely on the interests of voters,” the letter said. Says.
Trump dismissed that idea in his own Truth Social post, saying, “I think Biden is afraid of crowds, but he would prefer a very large venue to get excited.”
“Just tell me when you’re going to be there, and I’ll be there,” Trump said. “Let’s get ready for battle!!!”
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the schedule for three presidential debates last November. The first debate was scheduled for September 16th in Texas, the second on October 1st in Virginia, and the third on October 9th in Utah.
In a letter Wednesday, Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the campaign proposed changing the date because the original date was “not consistent with changes in the election structure and changing voter interests.” He pointed out that: the early voting schedule, the way the commission has structured the debate as an “entertainment spectacle,” and the commission’s “inability or unwillingness” to enforce the rules for the 2020 debate. is.
Patrick Semanski/AP/File
In this 2020 photo, then-President Donald Trump (left) faces then-Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden (right) during the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville. ) is pointing.
The campaign also proposed holding a vice presidential debate in late July after Republicans name their running mate.
The Biden campaign’s decision to withdraw from debates sponsored by the committee is consistent with a move made by the Republican National Committee nearly two years ago. The RNC voted unanimously to withdraw from the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which oversees general election presidential debates, citing bias. The reversal came after then-Chairman Ronna McDaniel pressed the commission on behalf of President Trump for months to change various practices.
The push to move the debate date forward can be seen as an indication of the camp’s desire to involve voters in the political process as quickly as possible. The campaign has repeatedly sidestepped negative polling by arguing that most Americans don’t care about the electoral process until very close to the election.
Calling for an early debate could also help eliminate third-party candidates who could pose problems for both Trump and Biden. Candidates must meet certain criteria regarding ballot access, voting, and constitutional eligibility. Trump and Biden are almost certain to qualify, but it’s unclear whether third-party candidates like Cornel West or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will meet the requirements. The Commission on Presidential Debates will not decide who is eligible to participate in the debate until after Labor Day.
For millions of Americans, this debate will be the most extensive scrutiny of either candidate since the lead-up to the 2020 election four years ago.
For voters concerned about the ages of Biden and Trump, the opportunity to see how both candidates perform will be crucial. Trump will turn 78 on June 14, around the time his campaign is proposing to hold the first debate, while Biden will turn 82 in November, after the election.
The campaign is also proposing a key change that it says would make the debates more substantive and less of a spectacle: candidates debating without a studio audience.
“As was the case with the first televised debate in 1960, a television studio staffed only by candidates and moderators is a better and more cost-effective way to focus solely on the interests of voters,” the letter said. Says.
Trump dismissed that idea in his own Truth Social post, saying, “I think Biden is afraid of crowds, but he would prefer a very large venue to get excited.”
“Just tell me when you’re going to be there, and I’ll be there,” Trump said. “Let’s get ready for battle!!!”
Republicans have been pressuring Biden to debate Trump for months after he gave vague answers about whether a face-to-face showdown would take place. Biden had previously conditioned his debate with his predecessor, telling reporters, “It depends on what he does,” but declined to elaborate further.
A person familiar with the debate told CNN last month that the Trump campaign wants to get the former president on the debate stage as soon as possible for a variety of reasons. In April, the Trump campaign asked the Commission on Presidential Debates to hold this year’s general election debate “sooner.” The official said the debate will be scheduled after early voting begins in some areas, so Trump can appeal to voters before making a decision.
This article has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Alayna Treene, Daniel Strauss and MJ Lee contributed to this report.
