Biden and Trump inch closer to debate stage
CNN
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After pressing the full court of Donald TrumpThe presidential campaign and its allies, he and Joe Biden The move might be closer to meeting in the discussion phase before voters decide who will hold the Oval Office next year.
Biden on Friday Show his strongest commitment To the general election debates, where he told Howard Stern in a wide-ranging interview that he would be “happy” to debate Trump.
“I’m – somewhere. I don’t know when, I’m happy to debate him,” the president said.
In response, Trump responded on Truth Social, saying, “Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but if he does, I say: ‘Anywhere, anytime, anywhere,’ which is an old expression that fighters use.”
This decline comes weeks after Republicans increased their calls for discussions.
These calls came in press releases, campaign memos, talking points with Republican surrogates, and during interviews with allies. The basic argument is simple: Trump wants to debate, and Biden owes it to the American people to get on stage with him as soon as possible.
“Will he debate Joe Biden? This is an issue that will not disappear. Donald Trump makes it clear when he’s on stage that he’ll debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, anywhere.
A day earlier, Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, made the point that Vice President Kamala Harris should absolutely discuss who Trump will choose as his running mate once the announcement is made.
In talking points received by CNN earlier this month, the Republican National Committee encouraged supporters to say that “President Trump is ready to debate anytime, anywhere, anywhere” and that “Americans deserve a full opportunity to see both candidates.” . On the same platform before starting to vote. Earlier this month, the Trump campaign I sent a message to the Commission on Presidential Debates, arguing that debates should take place early. The campaign has not received a response yet. Dozens of news organizations, including CNN, also reported Public speech Earlier this month, he urged Trump and Biden to participate in televised debates.
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced last year that events were scheduled to begin in mid-September. But the campaign cycle had not reached the point where the committee could evaluate it Where to vote for candidates and where They are on the ballot to determine who can be on stage.
Trump and his team see calling for debates as a ripe argument to make at this point, even as Republicans look to attack the president on immigration and the economy while the former president spends most of his days in court.
A source familiar with the discussions told CNN that Trump’s team is keen for the former president to reach the debate stage as soon as possible for a number of reasons. Earlier this month, the campaign asked the Commission on Presidential Debates to hold this year’s general election debates “much earlier.” The source indicated that the debates were scheduled to take place after the start of early voting in some areas, and they want Trump to be able to reach voters before the decision is made.
Part of the strategy is to force the Biden team to decide on the debates early. Trump’s team sees no downside.
“[Biden’s campaign] “He will either have to debate, and we don’t think he can keep up with Trump, or explain to the American people why he is hiding from Donald Trump,” the source said.
Trump’s team expressed confidence in the former president’s ability to excel on the debate stage.
“They may have silenced Donald Trump in the courtroom, but they won’t be able to silence him on the debate stage,” said Chris Lacivita, Trump’s co-campaign manager.
Trump’s record of attending debates is mixed. He eagerly attended nearly all of the Republican primary debates and all of the general election debates in 2016. In 2020, the former president skipped the second general election debate after the Commission on Presidential Debates said it would be virtual amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The former president skipped all GOP primary debates this cycle. But the Trump campaign is now pushing back on the idea that because Trump didn’t attend those primary debates, Biden won’t have to attend in the fall.
“It’s comparing apples to oranges,” one senior adviser said.
Calling early debates may also help weed out third-party candidates who could cause problems for both Trump and Biden. Candidates need to meet certain standards related to ballot access, voting, and constitutional eligibility to qualify for general election debates. Trump and Biden will almost certainly qualify for the general election debates, but it is unclear whether third-party candidates like Cornel West or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will meet the qualification requirements. The Commission on Presidential Debates will not determine who is eligible to participate in the debates until after Labor Day.
The source insisted that Trump would debate with or without a third-party candidate on stage.
A source familiar with the Biden campaign’s thinking says the Biden campaign is in no rush to commit to any specific date or format for the general election debates.
The Biden team has viewed Trump’s recent enthusiasm for the debate with some suspicion.
Nearly two years ago, the Republican National Committee voted unanimously to withdraw from its participation in the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, the organization that governs general election presidential debates, citing bias. This withdrawal came after months of then-Chairman Ronna McDaniel pressing the committee to change various practices on Trump’s behalf. At one point, McDaniel threatened to “bar future Republican candidates from participating in CPD-sponsored debates.” (She was fired from her job earlier this year.)
But with both Biden and Trump receiving enough delegates to win their parties’ nominations, Trump renewed calls for debates, first the day before Biden’s State of the Union address and again earlier this month. It’s not clear to the Biden campaign what, if anything, has changed since the GOP dropped out of the committee.
The source said that the campaign does not view the debates as a decisive factor in the elections, but rather as just one part of the comprehensive work it is doing to deliver its message to voters, in addition to building its organization and opening offices and paid media outlets, among other efforts. The source said. The Biden campaign has maintained a split-screen strategy in recent weeks, showing the president governing and campaigning in battleground states while Trump spends most of his time in the courtroom.
Biden had previously made debates with his predecessor conditional, telling reporters last month: “It depends on his behavior,” but he declined to provide further details.
“If I were him I would want to debate me too. He doesn’t have anything else to do,” he said in February.
The Biden campaign views its 2020 debate experience with Trump as one that was ultimately positive for then-candidate Biden.
Strategists and activists who have advised statewide and presidential candidates on debates say debates remain important even as their viewership has fluctuated over the years. However, the value of holding these debates extends beyond voters’ ability to see the candidates side by side in real time.
“I think it’s important in this election because people have faith in what they think about what Donald Trump will do and what he’s done as president, but they should hear that on stage compared to Joe Biden’s record and get a chance to compare,” he added. “This is head-to-head stuff,” said Brett O’Donnell, a veteran Republican debate coach who prepared Sen. Mitt Romney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for presidential debates.
But there’s also an incentive for Biden and Trump to abstain from debating this time, says Mary Weil, another longtime Republican debate coach.
“If I were advising either of them, I would say: Why?… I would say: Why are we discussing?” “I mean I know it’s good for the country for voters to be involved, but I think they’re already too engaged,” Will said. “I think most people have pretty much already made up their minds. There’s only a narrow range of people who can be persuaded. Most of those are already leaning in and will probably go home before the election. That just leaves the risk.”
The danger, Weill continued, is that the candidate will slip up in some way or perform poorly, which essentially encourages a negative perception and that perception has been dominating the media cycle for some time.
“Mostly, from my perspective, it’s not about the people watching; It’s about the media narrative that continues for two or three days after that. “And then you can sometimes create ads afterward,” Will said. “I tell candidates it’s mostly about narrative. You’re putting out something that only media people can write about.
But skipping all debates would break with the decades-old tradition of general election candidates debating before elections. The first televised general election debate took place in 1960. There was a hiatus that lasted until 1976 and since then candidates of the two opposing parties and sometimes a third party candidate have participated in the general election debates.
