Former US President, Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden during a presidential debate in 2020
Eko Hot Blog reports that United States (US) President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, and former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, have agreed to participate in two televised presidential debates in June and September.
CNN announced the June 27 event on Tuesday, and said it would take place in the key swing state of Georgia.
A second debate on September 10 will be hosted by ABC.
The announcement came shortly after Biden laid out his terms for taking on former President Trump in a debate ahead of November’s election.
No audience will attend the June debate in Atlanta, CNN said, while moderators will be announced at a later date.
ABC has yet to announce more details on the debate it is hosting. Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he also accepted an invite from Fox News to appear in a debate on 2 October, but Biden’s campaign has yet to respond.
Biden broke tradition and proposed two televised debates in June and September. His rival quickly accepted, before suggesting they debate every month.
“We believe there should be more than just two opportunities for the American people to hear more from the candidates themselves,” the Trump campaign said.
Donald J. Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. at their debate in late October, 2020, in Nashville.Credit…Erin Schaff/The New York Times
Both candidates have traded barbs on social media, with Trump stating: “Just tell me when. Let’s get ready to rumble!!!”
Biden said Trump was “free on Wednesdays” – a reference to his criminal trial in New York, while Mr Trump claimed his rival was the “worst debater” who “can’t put two sentences together”.
The US president’s proposal of two debates breaks several established traditions.
It bypasses the presidential debate commission, which since 1988 has scheduled timings and had already set dates and locations for three debates in the autumn.
Biden’s team wants the two televised debates to be conducted with no live audience, another break with tradition.
Candidates would take turns answering question from an agreed-upon moderator from a major news network, and the non-speaking candidate’s microphone would be deactivated.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, the Biden campaign chairwoman, said that raucous partisan crowds were not “conducive to good debates”.
The first 2020 debate between the two candidates was marred by frequent interruptions and cross-talk. The second was cancelled when Trump caught Covid and refused to take part by video link.
Biden also proposed a July vice-presidential debate that would take place after Trump’s running-mate was nominated at the Republican convention in the summer.
BBC
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