Twelve media organizations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to accept the debates, saying it is a “rich tradition” that has been part of every general election campaign since 1976.
Even though Trump, who did not participate in the debates for the Republican nomination, has indicated his willingness to face his 2020 rival, the Democratic president has not committed to debating with him again.
Although the invitations have not been officially issued, media companies said it was not too early for each organization to publicly announce that it would participate in the three presidential forums and one vice-presidential forum hosted by the Nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
“If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this time of polarization, it is that the stakes in this election are exceptionally high,” the organizations said in a joint statement. In this context, there is no substitute for candidates debating among themselves and in front of the American people their vision for the future of our nation. »
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and the Associated Press all signed the letter.
Mr. Biden and Trump debated twice in 2020. A third debate was canceled after Trump, then president, was infected with COVID-19 and did not want to debate remotely.
Asked on March 8 whether he would engage in a debate with Trump, Mr. Biden said, “It depends on his behavior.” The current president was visibly upset by his opponent during the first free debate of 2020, saying at one point: “are you going to shut up? “.
Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a letter last week that “we have already indicated that President Trump is ready to debate anytime, anywhere — and now is the time to start these debates.
They cited the seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, saying “the America of today certainly deserves as much.”
The Republican National Committee voted in 2022 to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Trump organization has not indicated it will comply, but it has set certain conditions. Campaign managers said the commission selected a “blatantly anti-Trump moderator” in then-Fox News host Chris Wallace in 2020, and wanted assurance that the commission’s proceedings were fair and impartial.
The Trump Organization also wants to move up the schedule, saying many Americans will have already voted by September 16, the 1er October and October 9, dates of the three debates set by the commission.
Mr. Biden’s organization declined to comment on the media companies’ letter, pointing to the president’s earlier statement. There was no immediate response from the Trump organization.
However, on Saturday, Trump attended a rally in northeastern Pennsylvania with two lecterns set up on the stage: one for him to deliver a speech, the other to symbolize what he said was the Mr. Biden’s refusal to debate against him. The second desk had a sign that read: “Any time. Anywhere. »
Midway through his speech, Trump turned to his right and pointed to the second lectern, inviting Joe Biden to debate while the country is going “in the wrong direction.”
C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. A single newspaper, USA Today, added his voice. THE Washington Post declined a membership application.
Broadcasters could certainly benefit from the interest that debates can bring. Television news ratings are down sharply compared to the 2020 campaign, although other factors come into play, such as the pandemic, which increased interest in the news four years ago years.
There was no Democratic debate this presidential cycle, and Trump’s refusal to participate in Republican forums reduced the interest they generated.