A group of news organizations are calling on President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to commit to participating in debates during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Both Biden and Trump have garnered enough primary delegates to secure their places as the presumptive nominees of their respective parties. The news outlets said in a statement that, while the campaign is still early, both candidates should commit to participating in debates ahead of the November election.
“With the contours of the 2024 general election now coming into clear focus, we – the undersigned national news organizations – urge the presumptive presidential nominees to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November’s election,” the joint statement said, according to Fox News.
“Since 1988, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored all presidential general election debates. The Commission has previously announced dates, times, and eligibility criteria for 2024 debates,” the statement continued. “Though it is too early for invitations to be extended to any candidates, it is not too early for candidates who expect to meet the eligibility criteria to publicly state their support for – and their intention to participate in – the Commission’s debates planned for this fall.”
A dozen news organizations signed on to the statement: ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, NBC News, NewsNation, Noticias Univision, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and USA Today.
The push to extract commitments from the candidates comes after the Trump campaign last week issued a statement calling for more debates to be added to the calendar and for them to take place earlier. The three debates scheduled so far are set to take place on September 16, October 1, and October 9.
Trump taunted Biden during a rally on April 2, bringing an empty podium on the stage, according to NBC News.
“This is for Joe Biden. I am trying to get him to debate,” Trump said, referring to the podium. “Trying to get Crooked Joe to debate. Anytime, anyplace.”
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Biden has not yet said whether he will participate in any presidential debates. The president’s campaign aides told NBC that Biden would not decide until later in the year.
Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler responded to Trump’s taunt, calling it a “weak merch play from a guy desperate to avoid talking about how he’s got no cash, no campaign infrastructure, and no answer for how his chaotic, divisive and violent campaign is going to win this November.”
“Trump said last fall only people who are losing want debates. At least we agree on something,” he added.