According to Reuters, Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Republican competitor and former President Donald Trump have agreed to do two debates on June 27 and September 10. These debates are shaping up to be pivotal moments in the November 2024 presidential campaign. Biden confirmed his preparedness on social media, adding, "As you said anywhere, any time, any place." Trump responded by replying to Biden "the worst debater" he's ever faced and confirming his desire to debate, writing, "I am Ready and Willing to debate crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September." Debates are a high-risk for both candidates, who may confront a close and low voter turnout election. Biden's team feels the debates might reveal Trump's positions on controversial issues like abortion.
Trump's campaign, on the other hand, views Biden as prone to linguistic gaffes, which may raise concerns about his age. By the time of the first debate, Trump will be 78 and Biden will be 81 years old. CNN, a Warner Bros Discovery division, has confirmed that the first debate will take place in their Atlanta (Georgia) studio with no audience. Anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the discussion. Georgia is one of the most important battleground states in November's election.
The first debate will take place after the Group of Seven summit concludes in Italy on June 15 and Trump's criminal trial begins in New York. The second discussion will be hosted by ABC on September 10th. A vice presidential debate has also been scheduled for July, following the Republican National Convention (RNC), the statement noted. According to the article, Biden has agreed to participate under stringent conditions in order to limit interruptions, whereas Trump wants more than two debates and prefers a huge location "for excitement purposes."
Biden's idea asks for direct negotiations between the campaigns about debate rules, which would differ from the conventional three fall debates. Biden's campaign, looking to boost poll numbers, is willing to risk debates despite lagging Trump in crucial battleground states. Trump's campaign insists on debates taking place before early voting begins in some areas, and prefers a two-hour format with both candidates standing. Biden's campaign has requested that only networks that conducted debates in the 2016 and 2020 primary seasons host this year's contests. CNN, Telemundo, CBS News, and ABC News are all included.
Biden's team rejected the traditional debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, alleging problems with rule enforcement. Trump had also stated a desire to circumvent the commission, and the RNC declared in 2022 that it would abandon the panel's debate format.
Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, Biden's campaign chair, emphasized that debates should assist American voters rather than provide entertainment for a live audience. She confirmed that Biden will not participate in the commission's three general-election debates on September 16, as well as October 1 and 9. Biden's team is also pushing for a debate before early voting begins, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other independent candidates excluded.
Meanwhile, independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that he will meet the qualifications to participate in the CNN debate before the June 20 deadline. CNN needs candidates to appear on enough state ballots to receive 270 electoral votes and to have at least 15% in four separate national surveys, according to Reuters.
