President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to hold two campaign debates, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown. The first debate is scheduled for June 27 and will be hosted by CNN, while the second debate will take place on September 10 and will be hosted by ABC.
The agreement on the debate schedule came quickly after Biden announced that he would not participate in the fall debates organized by the nonpartisan commission. Instead, Biden’s campaign proposed that media outlets directly organize the debates with the Democratic and Republican nominees. Trump, in response, expressed his readiness to debate Biden at the proposed times.
Biden accepted an invitation from CNN for the June debate, prompting Trump to confirm his participation on his Truth Social platform. The two candidates then agreed to the second debate on ABC, with both expressing enthusiasm for the upcoming face-offs.
However, there are still some differences between the two sides on key questions such as moderators and rules for the debates. Biden’s campaign proposed excluding third-party candidates from the debates outright, while the debate commission’s rules allow third-party candidates to participate under certain conditions.
CNN announced that the first debate will be held in its Atlanta studios without an audience present. The network left open the possibility of third-party candidate participation if they meet the commission’s requirements.
Both candidates have expressed a desire for a large audience and have been pushing for more debates. Biden’s campaign has criticized the debate commission for its handling of the 2020 debates and has sought ways to bypass the commission’s control over the debates.
The upcoming debates between Biden and Trump are expected to be highly anticipated and closely watched by voters across the country.