WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates 鈥� the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC 鈥� setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks.
The quick agreement on the timetable to meet followed the Democrat's announcement that he will not participate in fall sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades. Biden's campaign instead proposed that media outlets directly organize the debates with , with the first to be held in late June and the second in September before early voting begins. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, said he was 鈥淩eady and Willing to Debate鈥� Biden at the proposed times.
Hours later, Biden said he accepted an invitation from CNN to a debate in June, adding, 鈥淥ver to you, Donald.鈥� Trump said on Truth Social he'd be there, adding, 鈥淟et鈥檚 get ready to Rumble!!!鈥� And soon after that, they agreed to the second debate on ABC.
鈥淭rump says he鈥檒l arrange his own transportation," Biden wrote on X. 鈥淚鈥檒l bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.鈥�
Still, the two sides appeared to be hold some differences on key questions of how to organize the debates, including agreeing on moderators and rules 鈥� some of the very questions that prompted the formation of the Commission on Presidential Debates in 1987.
Biden's campaign had proposed excluding third-party candidates, such as , from the debates outright. Under the debate commission鈥檚 rules, Kennedy or other third-party candidates could qualify if they secured ballot access sufficient to claim 270 Electoral Votes and polled at 15% or higher in a selection of national polls.
CNN said that the debate would be held in its Atlanta studios and that 鈥渘o audience will be present.鈥� It said moderators and other details would be announced later. The network held open the door to Kennedy's participation if he or any other candidate met polling and ballot access requirements similar to the commission's.
As recently as Wednesday morning, Trump expressed his desire for a large live audience.
鈥淚 would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds - That鈥檚 only because he doesn鈥檛 get them,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淛ust tell me when, I鈥檒l be there.鈥�
Trump has been pushing for more debates and earlier debates, arguing voters should be able to see the two men face off well before early voting begins in September. He has repeatedly said he will debate Biden 鈥渁nytime, anywhere, any place,鈥� outside the Manhattan courthouse where he is currently on criminal trial in . He also has been taunting Biden with an empty lectern at some of his rallies.
Biden鈥檚 campaign has long held a grudge against the nonpartisan commission for failing to evenly apply its rules during the 2020 Biden-Trump matchups 鈥� most notably when it and his entourage 鈥� and Biden鈥檚 team has held talks with television networks and some Republicans about ways to circumvent the commission鈥檚 grip on presidential debates.
Biden campaign chair Jen O鈥橫alley Dillon on Wednesday sent a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates to say that Biden鈥檚 campaign objected to the fall dates selected by the commission, which come after some Americans begin to vote, repeating a complaint also voiced by the Trump campaign. She also voiced frustrations over the rule violations and the commission's insistence on holding the debates before a live audience.
鈥淭he debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home 鈥� not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors," she said. 鈥滱s was the case with , a television studio with just the candidates and moderators is a better, more cost-efficient way to proceed: focused solely on the interests of voters."
There was little love lost for the commission as well from Trump, who objected to technical issues at his first debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and was upset after a debate with Biden was canceled in 2020 after the Republican came down with COVID-19. The Republican National Committee had already promised not to work with commission on the 2024 contests.
The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The Trump campaign issued a statement on May 1 that objected to the scheduled debates by the commission, saying that the schedule 鈥渂egins AFTER early voting鈥� and that 鈥渢his is unacceptable鈥� because voters deserve to hear from the candidates before ballots are cast.
O鈥橫alley Dillon said the debates "should be one-on-one, allowing voters to compare the only two candidates with any statistical chance of prevailing in the Electoral College 鈥� and not squandering debate time on candidates with no prospect of becoming President.鈥�
Kennedy, in a statement, said Trump and Biden were 鈥渃olluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want.鈥�
鈥淭hey are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win,鈥� he said. "Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy.鈥�
In teeing up the debates, both Biden and Trump traded barbs on social media 鈥� each claiming victory the last time they faced-off in 2020.
鈥淒onald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, since then, he hasn鈥檛 shown up for a debate,' Biden said in a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. "Now he鈥檚 acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal.鈥�
Trump called Biden was the 鈥淲ORST debater I have ever faced - He can鈥檛 put two sentences together!鈥�
The Democratic president first indicated he would be willing to debate Trump during an interview with the radio host Howard Stern last month, telling him that 鈥淚 am, somewhere. I don鈥檛 know when. But I鈥檓 happy to debate him.鈥� He indicated again last week that he was preparing to debate, telling reporters as he was leaving a White House event: 鈥淪et it up.鈥�
Zeke Miller, Jill Colvin And Josh Boak, The Associated Press
