Biden Proposes June and September Debates, Trump Accepts

President Biden Breaks Tradition

President Biden announced on Wednesday that he will not be participating in the traditional three fall debates organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, he has suggested two televised debates to be held in June and September. The proposed conditions include no live audience, the exclusion of RFK Jr., and the muting of Trump's microphone when Biden is speaking. The debates can only be hosted by a network that is friendly to the regime.

Biden's Proposal

Biden's proposal, which was communicated via a video message and a letter to the commission, calls for direct negotiations between his campaign and the Trump campaign regarding the rules, moderators, and network hosts for the one-on-one debates. He also suggested a separate Vice Presidential debate in July, to take place after the Republican nominating convention and before the Democratic nominating convention.

Biden's Challenge to Trump

In a video released on Wednesday, Biden challenged Trump, stating, "Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, and since then he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he is acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice." Biden's comments were a playful jab at Trump's trial schedule, which leaves the former President free on Wednesdays.

Reasons for the Proposal

According to Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden's campaign chair, the proposal was made due to the commission's proposed schedule and the difficulty of preventing candidates from violating debate rules. She stated, "The Commission’s model of building huge spectacles with large audiences at great expense simply isn’t necessary or conducive to good debates. The debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home — not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors."

Trump's Response

In response to Biden's challenge, Trump told Fox News' Brooke Singman, "I'm ready to go…The dates that they proposed are fine… Let's see if Joe can make it to the stand-up podium." He further added that the proposed June and early September dates were acceptable to him and that he would provide his own transportation.

Debate Negotiations

Both camps will engage in extensive negotiations over the coming weeks. Biden's team has requested that only networks which hosted Republican primary debates in 2016 and Democratic primary debates in 2020 be eligible to host. This would include CNN, ABC News, Telemundo, and CBS News. In terms of moderators, Biden's team has suggested that the host be selected from the networks' regular personnel and that the debate should have strict time limits on answers, equal speaking time, alternating turns to speak, and microphones that are only active during each candidate's turn.

Final Thoughts

The proposed changes to the traditional debate format by President Biden are indeed a break from the norm. It raises the question of whether these changes will enhance or hinder the democratic process. What are your thoughts on this matter? Feel free to share this article with your friends and engage in a discussion. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.