After weeks of intense pressure from former President Donald J. Trump and his allies, he and President Joe Biden are finally set to meet on the debate stage ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The first debate is scheduled for the middle of September, but Trump’s campaign is eager to move up the dates.
Biden, in a wide-ranging interview with Howard Stern on Friday, finally committed to participating in the general election debates.
“I am – somewhere. I don’t know when, I’m happy to debate him,” Biden said.
Trump jumped at the explosive news, and quickly responded on his Truth Social platform.
“Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters,” he wrote.
Biden agreed to the debate only after a concerted effort by Republicans to push for the two to meet on stage. Trump’s campaign and allies have used press releases, memos, talking points, and interviews to argue that Trump is eager to debate and that Biden owes it to the American people to face him on stage as soon as possible.
“Will Joe Biden Debate? That’s an issue that isn’t going away. Donald Trump makes it clear whenever he is on stage that he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, and anyplace,” Trump’s co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita wrote in a public memo on Thursday.
Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, also emphasized that Vice President Kamala Harris should debate Trump’s running mate as soon as an announcement is made.
The Republican National Committee’s talking points encourage supporters to say that “Americans deserve a full chance to see both candidates on the same stage before they start voting.”
Trump’s team sees several advantages to getting him on the debate stage early.
They believe that Biden will struggle to keep up with Trump, and will have to explain to the American people why he’s avoiding the debates. The campaign also hopes to reach voters before they make their decision, especially in areas where early voting begins before the scheduled mid-September debates.
Trump’s record on attending debates is mixed. He skipped a Republican primary debate during the 2016 election, he skipped the second 2020 general election debate, and all of the 2024 Republican primary debates.
The Trump campaign responded to the criticism by pointing out primary and general election debates aren’t comparable. It is like “comparing apples to oranges.”
The Biden campaign, on the other hand, is not rushing to commit to any specific debate dates or formats. They view Trump’s renewed enthusiasm for debates with some skepticism, given the Republican National Committee’s 2021 decision to withdraw from the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
Biden has previously avoid committing to debates with Trump, telling reporters last month, “It depends on his behavior,” without elaborating further.
The Biden campaign claims that debates are just one piece of their overall strategy to reach voters, alongside building their organization, opening offices, and paid media efforts. Critics say Biden’s team is keen to avoid debates because of the president’s age.
Debate experts say that while viewership has fluctuated over the years, debates still matter in this election. They provide an opportunity for voters to compare the candidates’ records and positions side by side.
However, there are also risks for both candidates, such as the potential for slip-ups or poor performances that could dominate the media narrative for days.
Ultimately, skipping all debates would break with a long-standing tradition of general election candidates debating before the election, dating back to the first televised debate in 1960.
The current presidential debate schedule set by the Commission on Presidential Debates is as follows:
Monday, September 16, 2024
City (Venue): San Marcos, TX (Texas State University)
Networks: TBA
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Moderators: TBA
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
City (Venue): Petersburg, VA (Virginia State University)
Networks: TBA
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Moderators: TBA
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
City (Venue): Salt Lake City (University of Utah)
Networks: TBA
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Moderators: TBA
The Associated Press contributed to this article.