Joe Biden challenged Donald Trump to a debate in a social media video that sounded more like a professional wrestler than a presidential candidate. Trump accepted the challenge, and debates are set for June 27 on CNN and September 10 on ABC News. The format and timing of the debates are still being negotiated, with both candidates suggesting different options and criteria for the debates. In response to Biden’s challenge, Trump proposed longer debates standing at a podium for two hours, intending to criticize Biden’s endurance.
Both candidates are eager to appear as forceful as possible, with both men being well into their Social Security and Medicare years. The three debates proposed by both campaigns will be a departure from the typical format of presidential debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates since 1988. CNN, the network hosting the first debate in June, plans to conduct the debate in a TV studio with no audience, unlike the traditional town hall style with live audiences at colleges and universities.
Despite the commission’s plans to carry forward with their debates in September, informal conversations between the Biden and Trump campaigns have taken place to discuss their disdain for the commission and potential scenarios to work around them. June seems to be shaping up to be a busy month in US politics, with several significant events on the horizon. Both candidates are gearing up for the debates as a way to reshape the narrative of the campaign and make their case to voters, particularly as early voting is expected to begin in the months leading up to Election Day.
The debate plans do not include independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who must meet certain polling criteria to qualify for CNN’s debate. Kennedy has accused the campaigns of colluding to keep him off the stage, raising concerns about the exclusion of third-party candidates in the presidential debates. The debates are being closely watched as an opportunity for each candidate to make their case to voters and potentially sway opinions in battleground states where the election is expected to be decided. The format and timing of the debates are still being negotiated, with both campaigns looking to maximize their impact on voters.
