Biden expresses willingness to debate Trump after prolonged speculation

President Joe Biden has announced his willingness to participate in televised debates with former president Donald Trump before the 5 November presidential election. In an hour-long interview with Sirius-XM radio host Howard Stern, Mr Biden confirmed his readiness to debate his likely opponent.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has already scheduled three sessions for 16 September, 1 October, and 9 October this year. Despite not knowing the exact timing of the debates, Mr Biden expressed his eagerness to engage with Mr Trump.

During the interview, Stern suggested that Mr Biden should bring up Mr Trump’s controversial phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he asked to “find 11,780 votes” to overturn the election result in Georgia.

This announcement marks a shift in Mr Biden’s previous stance on debating Mr Trump, as he had previously only considered it based on Mr Trump’s behavior. The 2020 election cycle saw a tumultuous first debate between the two candidates, with Mr Trump’s constant interruptions leading Mr Biden to famously say, “Will you shut up, man?”

Since then, there have been calls for reform in the debate commission, with accusations of bias against Mr Trump and his GOP allies. The Republican National Committee even voted to withdraw from the commission in 2022, citing a lack of fair practices in selecting moderators and organizing debates.

As the election season heats up, all eyes will be on the upcoming debates between President Biden and former President Trump, as they face off once again on the national stage.