Is Biden afraid of debating Trump?
A consortium of twelve prominent national news entities is urging the contenders vying for the presidency to firmly commit to engaging in debates before the November election. They underscored the pivotal role of direct debates in allowing candidates to articulate their visions for the nation’s trajectory to the electorate. The coalition, which notably includes NBC News, made a direct appeal to the candidates, refraining from explicit mention of President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, urging them to formally pledge their participation in debates arranged by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
Despite both Biden and Trump having amassed sufficient delegates to clinch their party nominations at their respective conventions, the news consortium emphasized the “extraordinarily consequential” nature of the impending election. They underscored the Commission on Presidential Debates’ longstanding responsibility for coordinating all presidential general election debates since 1988. As per the current itinerary, debates are slated for September 16, October 1, and October 9, to be hosted at various universities across the United States.
Trump’s campaign has advocated for additional presidential debates commencing earlier than those scheduled by the commission, advocating for a more extensive debate calendar. However, Biden has yet to signal his intentions regarding debating Trump, with his campaign advisors indicating that a decision will be deferred until later in the year. Likewise, Vice President Kamala Harris has not committed to participating in a vice-presidential debate at this juncture.
The collective declaration from the news organizations arises amidst ongoing deliberations regarding the format and timing of the debates, particularly given Trump’s absence from all Republican primary debates during the current election cycle. The consortium stressed the importance of candidates engaging directly with each other and the electorate through debates, especially given the critical nature of the forthcoming election. They implored the candidates to publicly affirm their endorsement of and commitment to partake in the Commission’s scheduled debates for the autumn season.
