President Joe Biden’s recent comments on “The Howard Stern Show” have set the stage for a potential debate spectacle with his predecessor Donald Trump, suggesting a willingness to engage in verbal sparring ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“I am, somewhere, I don’t know when, but I am happy to debate him,” Biden declared during the lengthy interview. This statement marks the first time Biden has explicitly expressed readiness to debate Trump in the current election cycle, breaking away from previous statements where he had said it would depend on the former president’s behavior.
Trump, who has refused to partake in any of the Republican primary debates, reacted swiftly to Biden’s comment, asserting on his social media platform, “Crooked Joe Biden just announced that he’s willing to debate! Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE.” Trump’s campaign advisor Chris LaCivita joined the fray by posting, “Ok let’s set it up!”
The prospect of a debate has generated buzz among major news organizations, with a consortium of outlets including ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, NBC News, NewsNation, Univision, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and USA Today publicly urging both candidates to commit to televised debates before the election.
The Commission on Presidential Debates has tentatively scheduled three debates for September and October in Texas, Virginia, and Utah. Trump, who refused to participate in the Republican primary debates, has posted on social media that he will debate Biden “anytime, anywhere anyplace” despite the Republican National Committee voting unanimously in 2022 to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
While some Democratic lawmakers and commentators have questioned the prudence of debating Trump, citing his unorthodox tactics and the potential normalizing of his actions surrounding the January 6 insurrection, the president’s newly expressed openness to a debate has moved the conversation forward.
During his conversation with Stern, Biden also touched on a range of personal and political issues. He reflected on his family’s history, including the loss of his first wife and daughter in a car accident and the death of his son Beau to cancer, evoking an emotional response from the president.
Relevant articles:
– Biden says he’s ‘happy’ to debate Trump, thehill.com, 04/27/2024
– Biden says he’s happy to debate Trump, CNN, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:21:00 GMT
– Biden says he’s “happy to debate” Trump before 2024 election, CBS News, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:00:19 GMT
– Joe Biden Says He’d Be ‘Happy’ To Debate Donald Trump, HuffPost, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:37:07 GMT
– Biden Tells Howard Stern He’s ‘Happy’ to Debate Trump, Rolling Stone, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:33:11 GMT