Biden, Trump agree to debate on June 27 and Sept. 10
5382 Mins Read
U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump agreed to face off in two debates on June 27 and Sept. 10, setting up the highest stakes moments yet of the race for the White House.
“As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden said on social media.
Trump called Biden “the worst debater” he has ever faced. “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” he posted on social media.
CNN, a division of Warner Bros Discovery aid the first debate would be held in their Atlanta studio with no audience, and would be moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Georgia is one of November’s most closely contested states.
The candidates also accepted an invitation from ABC which will host a second debate on Sept. 10. A separate vice presidential debate has been proposed for July, after the Republican National Convention.
Key differences between the two sides remained on the terms of engagement. Biden said he would participate in those two debates under strict rules to reduce interruptions, while Trump called for more than two – and a very large venue “for excitement purposes.”
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr claimed in a new post on X that he will meet the criteria to participate in the CNN debate before the June 20 deadline. It remained unclear if he will qualify.
CNN requires its debate candidates to appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed only 13 pct of Americans would vote for Kennedy.
Earlier in the day Kennedy said Biden and Trump ” are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win.”
Debates, which will draw a U.S. live television audience in the tens of millions, are fraught with risks for both candidates, who face a tight race and low enthusiasm from voters.
Biden aides think debates could hurt Trump by exposing his positions on issues, including abortion, that they regard as political vulnerabilities.
The first debate would take place after the June 15 conclusion of the Group of Seven summit in Italy and Trump’s criminal trial in New York.
DETAILS TO BE WORKED OUT
Biden’s debate proposal, the first formal offer by his campaign, ditched the decades-old tradition of three fall debates and called for direct negotiations between the Trump and Biden campaigns over the rules.
Asked about any preference for format or topics, Biden-Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said some details remained to be worked out.
Trump aides see Biden as prone to verbal slip-ups that could amplify voter concerns about the 81-year-old president’s age. Trump will be 78 by the time the first debate is held.
