American news outlets call on Biden and Trump to agree to debates

A dozen leading U.S. news organizations have come together to urge U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to publicly commit to debating each other in the run-up to the November election. In a joint statement, the news outlets emphasized the importance of debates in American democracy, citing their vital role in every presidential election over the past 50 years.

The statement called for the debates to be sponsored by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, as has been the tradition since 1988. The 12 signatories included major network television outlets such as ABC News, CBS News, NBCUniversal News Group, Fox, CNN, C-SPAN, and PBS NewsHour, as well as The Associated Press, National Public Radio, and USA Today.

While Trump has been challenging Biden to a one-on-one matchup, Biden has not committed to debating him yet. Biden’s camp has expressed concerns about Trump not following the rules set by the Commission during the debates.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Biden leading Trump among registered voters, adding to the anticipation surrounding a potential debate between the two candidates. Despite the uncertainty, both Biden and Trump have faced each other in televised debates during the 2020 campaign.

As the election draws closer, the call for a public commitment to debates from both candidates continues to grow louder, with the American public eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see the two contenders face off on the debate stage.