President Joe Biden has expressed a clear willingness to engage in a debate with his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, as the United States gears up for what promises to be a contentious election season. During an interview with Howard Stern, Biden responded affirmatively when asked about his intentions to participate in the debates, saying, “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when, but I’m happy to debate him.”
Biden and his campaign have deflected in recent months on the question of a debate. When asked in February about Trump’s calls for debate, Biden merely said, “If I were him, I’d want him to debate me, too. He’s got nothing else to do.”
In response to Biden’s willingness to debate, Chris LaCivita, Trump campaign senior adviser, responded on social media, “OK let’s set it up!” Trump, for his part, suggested on his own social media platform that the debate could take place on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evening during his campaign in Michigan, or even on a Friday night at the New York City where he was attending his hush money criminal trial.
Notably, Trump has abstained from participating in any of the Republican primary debates this cycle but has been vocal about his readiness to face Biden, despite the Republican National Committee told the presidential debates commission that its 2024 nominee would not participate unless changes were made in terms of selecting moderators and scheduling debates before early voting began in any of the states. Trump had claimed that the commission was biased against him during the 2020 race against Biden.
The Commission on Presidential Debates has already set dates and venues for three upcoming general election debates, with the first scheduled for September 16 in San Marcos, Texas, the second for October 1 in Petersburg, Virginia, and the third for October 9.
A dozen major news organizations also urged the two rivals in joint statement earlier this month to commit to debating one another.
During his interview, which extended beyond the debate issue, Biden touched on a variety of personal and political topics, from his upbringing to reflections on the current state of the Republican Party. He also spoke in depth about his family’s history, being candid about his father’s prior business struggles, the loss of his first wife and infant daughter in a car accident, and the death of his son Beau to cancer, at which point his voice caught with emotion.
Relevant articles:
– President Joe Biden says he will debate Donald Trump, USA TODAY, 04/27/2024
– Biden says he would be ‘happy to debate’ Trump, NBC News, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:50:21 GMT
– Biden says he’s happy to debate Trump, CNN, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:21:00 GMT
– Biden Agrees To Debate—And Trump Offers To Square Off ‘Tonight’, Forbes, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:28:00 GMT