Last week, during an interview on Howard Stern’s radio show on Sirius XM, Joe Biden claimed that he is “happy to debate” Donald Trump.
"I don't know if you're going to debate your opponent," Stern said.
"I am, somewhere, I don't know when," Biden replied. I'm happy to debate him."
It was a significant statement considering that the Biden campaign has been subtly signaling for months a reluctance to participate in any debates — while suggesting that the fault lies with Trump.
Of course, Trump is anxious to debate, wants more debates, and wants them to happen even earlier.
Normally there would be no question that debates will take place, but even with Biden’s claim he’s “happy to debate” Trump, there’s still doubt about whether it will happen. Earlier this month, major news organizations united in urging both candidates to commit publicly to these debates — a point those outlets obviously directed at Biden.
The Trump campaign has not only been enthusiastic about debates, but it has also called on the Commission on Presidential Debates to schedule more of them and have them start earlier.
"While the Commission on Presidential Debates has already announced three presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate to occur later this year, we are in favor of these debates beginning much earlier," Trump's co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita explained in a letter to the commission. "Specific to the Commission's proposed 2024 calendar, it simply comes too late. By the date of the first proposed debate, September 16, 2024, over 1 million Americans will have likely voted. By the date of the second proposed debate, October 1, 2024, the number of Americans who will have likely cast a ballot will be over 3 million, an increase of 225%."
However, the debate commission has refused to alter the schedule.
"The CPD’s criteria […] will be applied in early September; afterward, the Commission will extend debate invitations to qualifying candidates," the CPD told Fox News Digital. "The CPD is proceeding with production and broadcast plans at its four debate sites as also announced on November 20, 2023."
Wiles and LaCivita are, of course, not thrilled about the latest development.
“The Presidential Debate Commission’s schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots,” they said in a statement that PJ Media received. "This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins. President Trump has stated he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and Joe Biden himself just agreed to debate."
“We are committed to making this happen with or without the Presidential Debate Commission,” they continued. "We extend an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and we once again call on Joe Biden’s team to work with us to set one up as soon as possible. The American people deserve it.”
Of course, it’s already a stretch that Biden will participate in the CPD-sanctioned debates, and there’s virtually no chance that Joe Biden will participate in any debate without the CPD’s involvement. The Biden campaign is likely already aware that refusing to participate in the debates is a huge risk, but it also knows that a bad performance could destroy his already struggling campaign.
In 2022, Sen. John Fetterman's (D-Pa.) poll numbers tanked after his disastrous debate performance with Dr. Mehmet Oz. Fetterman's saving grace was the timing: a significant portion of voters already cast their ballots by the time the debate took place, mitigating the impact.
As long as early voting remains a thing, the Trump campaign is absolutely right. The public deserves to see the candidates face off before voting has begun, and the Presidential Debate Commission, which is supposed to be nonpartisan but we know is left-wing biased, threw a real bone to the Biden campaign by not making any changes.
