Biden challenges Trump to 2 debates but won't participate in nonpartisan commission's debates
Source: AP
Updated 8:46 AM EDT, May 15, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he will not participate in fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades and instead proposed two debates with former President Donald Trump to be held earlier in the year.
Bidens campaign proposed that the first debate between the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees be held in late June and the second in September before early voting begins. Trump responded to the letter in an interview with Fox News digital, calling the proposed dates fully acceptable to me and joked about providing his own transportation.
Biden, in a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, sought to needle his rival, saying, Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, since then, he hasnt shown up for a debate. Now hes acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal.
The Democrat suggested that the two candidates could pick some dates, taking a dig at Trumps ongoing New York hush money trial by noting that the Republican is free on Wednesdays, the usual day off in the trial.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2024-election-presidential-debates-biden-trump-6b1d1dbb2ed61c7637041b23662d7da8
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lark
(23,745 posts)The pig loves the shit too much and that's all we will hear if they do get on stage together - a tsf shouting and mean, fascist, lying fest.
Ruby Soho
(53 posts)If Biden was up 20+ points, he probably could get away with it but the damage of not debating is likely worse optics for Biden than debating, even if it turns into a shit-show.
But my guess is that Biden's campaign is risking an actual debate knowing Trump very well may not commit or that an agreement can't be reached and therefore, Biden's team can blame Trump for ducking it.
Right now, it sounds like a Biden's team has gotten CNN to agree with a debate next month.
The ball is now in Trump's court.
No pun intended lol
niyad
(117,641 posts)lark
(23,745 posts)Even if he agrees, you know damn well he will NOT follow the terms. If his podium is close enough to Biden's, he'll just continue to shout, even though his mic is turned off and it will still be nothing but a shit show and magats would love it! The only way this will work is if they are widely separated so Biden will not be so flustered by the constant stream of steaming shit, as anyone sane would be.
former9thward
(33,006 posts)I thought they always did a poor job at organizing debates.
Shipwack
(2,278 posts)Just the way it's framed sounds bad. "Biden refuses debate hosted by nonpartisan commision".
It's a shame that everyone ganged up on the League of Wonan Voters who had been running the debates with no problems.
I forget the exact circumstances, but wasn't it that both parties disliked not having control, and the broadcast services smelled money?
former9thward
(33,006 posts)But, in general, I am opposed to the modern debates. They are just dueling press conferences. I would like to see a Lincoln-Douglas format where one candidate spoke for an hour, then the other candidate spoke for an hour, and they just asked each other questions back and forth without any moderator. Yes, I know, that would be impossible with today's attention spans.
muriel_volestrangler
(102,047 posts)I mean, the Sunday political chat shows don't exactly have a great reputation for meaningful discussion these days. And the NYT is full of it. There's a danger they will structure it to provide controversy (good for their business) rather than an objective display of the 2 men.
former9thward
(33,006 posts)Right now, the debates are just dueling press conferences. However, I would like to see the campaigns take more control instead of just being ordered around by the commission.
Ruby Soho
(53 posts)It wasn't dueling press conferences, it was Trump grandstanding the entire time with interruptions every time Biden spoke.
Qutzupalotl
(14,836 posts)with Will you shut up, man? Most memorable line of the night, much more than Trump's mindless chatter, which stopped for a moment. It reminded people of what beautiful silence sounded like, and what it might be like to not have a bully in the bully pulpit.
Biden debated in the Senate for decades. He has a much better record to run on than the Manchurian Cantaloupe. He will be fine.
Ruby Soho
(53 posts)He can handle Trump.
But Trump unchecked, like he was in 2020, ruined that debate and turned a lot of people off. I don't think many blamed Biden but the disgust wasn't just tied to Trump, either.
My only issue is that 2024 is a much more divisive election it seems. Neither candidate is as popular as they were four years ago (and it's not like Trump was all that popular then, either) and the optics of a 2020-style debate again might turn off voters who are already wishing there were different nominees.
Like I said, Biden can brawl but that 2020 debate was exhausting and to do it again might just make voters more disgusted with the options - and we need those reluctant voters to vote Biden instead of RFK Jr. or another third party.
So, Biden's proposed rules seem reasonable but the idea that there should be few limits on how these candidates debate is just not practical with Trump.
If we were talking a sane opponent, I'd love to see a back and forth instead of canned answers but we're not and can't expect that with Trump.
ClaudetteCC
(36 posts)instead it seems to have devolved into sound bites so that future newscasts can cherry pick 'highlights' to stuff between commercials. I wonder if some podcasters could do better.
myohmy2
(3,514 posts)...I want them to talk about Medicare For All and boosting the financial and benefit base of Social Security and Medicare...
...what are the chances of that...?
...instead we'll get non-stop media spam and the usual 24/7 king magat up-chucks with his fascist party pissing themselves because he's not in jail...
...totally irrelevant, meaningless and useless to my daily existence ...
...but for joy, rapture, we get to do 2020 all over again...
...
wcollar
(186 posts)They werent exactly nonpartisan there! I wouldnt trust them
Cha
(302,367 posts)DENVERPOPS
(9,553 posts)were horrific........Allowing Trump to continue talking, to constantly be talking over the Dem, and following Hillary around the stage was beyond despicable.......She missed a good one when he was doing that......she should have turned to the moderator and said would you please order Trump to quit "stalking" me around the stage......
I would love a debate where the microphone is turned off when it is not the person's turn. Period. And shut off their microphone the moment their time is up..............
bucolic_frolic
(45,600 posts)Any mistakes in June debates are recoverable by November. September also. Clearly avoiding last minute October surprise is a prime consideration. We all remember 1980. Without the final debate a week before, Dems probably could have kept 20 House seats and maybe a Senate seat or two.
I think they're betting Trump won't be available in June, or will be very tarnished by his court cases and perhaps convictions.
Count me in the camp for no debates this year. Trump is too volatile and unstable, you never know what hatred he will bring.
red dog 1
(28,764 posts)1) "October Surprise"
There is evidence to support the claim that Reagan Campaign Manager William Casey met secretly with Iranian officials to ask that the hostages not be released until after the election, so Reagan, and not President Jimmy Carter, wouldn't get credit for their release.
2) "Debate-gate" or "Briefing-gate"
There are those who allege that William Casey had Donald Gregg, a CIA agent who was detailed by the CIA to the National Security Council, (and may have had access to the White House), steal President Carter's Briefing Papers (while Carter was out of town) for his 2nd debate with Reagan.
Casey allegedly made copies of the Carter Briefing Papers and gave them to George Will, who used them to
"coach" Reagan before the 2nd Presidential Debate.
Remember, Reagan did poorly in his first debate with Carter. He mumbled and stumbled and didn't seem to know much.
Carter clearly "won" that first debate.
However, in the 2nd Presidential Debate, after being coached by George Will, Reagan knew what Jimmy Carter was going to say beforehand, because of the stolen WH Briefing Papers.
["Well, there you go again."]
Reagan did very well in that 2nd debate & went on to defeat President Carter in November, 1980.
TheRickles
(2,263 posts)Marcuse
(7,832 posts)![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P69xdkqBJno/hq720.jpg)
RAB910
(3,795 posts)Mysterian
(4,992 posts)as the moderator. Good move by President Biden.
DownriverDem
(6,449 posts)All the news we see about Biden is not good. I don't think the voters grasp the seriousness of a trump second term.
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)You must be missing my LBN OPs then.
It's quite the opposite of what you have "seen".
DownriverDem
(6,449 posts)what I see the voters see. What are LBN Ops?
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)and guaranteed there are quite a few resources being thrown there, including ads, etc.
MI, which the pundits CONTINUE to ignore when it came to the 2020 results, flipped MI back to blue by a margin of over 154,000 votes vs the less than 11,000 vote difference in 2016. Your state has taken back the governor and legislature.
And LBN = "Late Breaking News" which is a forum where news items get posted - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1014 (it has a stricter criteria to post versus General Discussion).
DownriverDem
(6,449 posts)has turned Blue and that makes us happy here. However we have a pretty good amount of Muslims/Arab citizens here (I live nesxt to Dearborn.) and they are not happy with Biden. A lot of young folks here are not happy either. If they don't vote or vote 3rd party we are screwed. They post anti Biden stuff. Like I said I don't think many understand the gravity of a trump second term. BTW my family on my mother's side came to PA from Ireland in the 1860s.
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)(used to supervise folks there) and saw that Arab community even there.
However your state is not just folks there. It's all those folks up and down the state including all the way up to the Upper Peninsula.
And by golly, do NOT count out these folks -
and what Biden did there (which was unprecedented) -
That had a powerful impact for actual blue collar VOTERS and the unions are some of the biggest organizers for the vote.
And Philly did get quite a lot of Irish immigrants back then and they were tormented by the "Know-Nothing" nativist party as they came in (including a few decades before the biggest groups began to arrive) -
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Riot_in_Philadelphia%2C_June_%28i.e._July%29_7th_1844_-_H._Bucholzer._LCCN2003654121.jpg/698px-Riot_in_Philadelphia%2C_June_%28i.e._July%29_7th_1844_-_H._Bucholzer._LCCN2003654121.jpg)
There is a memorial to that period - https://irishmemorial.org/
![](https://philadelphia.today/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/10/The-Irish-Memorial.jpg)
(had to be temporarily moved because they are capping the whole area by the Delaware River where it is, to cover I-95 and replace with parkland, etc).
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Cha
(302,367 posts)Vote Depressing one.
You are the Best!!
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)![](/emoticons/thumbsup.gif)
![](/emoticons/hi.gif)
Cha
(302,367 posts)November 2002. But I know what how much worse they've gotten.. if possible.
I only Do DU.. We have Standards!
TY!
John1956PA
(3,147 posts)The 12:00 PM noon news telecasts are popular in Pittsburgh. President Biden's TV ads criticize 45 for his role in overturning Roe. On the other side, 45's ads accuse the President of being insensitive to the effects of inflation on the middle class.
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)but in the evening (drive-time and beyond), they have been running Biden & Casey ads on MSNBC here in Philly. I expect they are also running them on the OTA stations as well (they certainly have amassed enough $$$ to do that)!
Haven't seen any 45 or McCormick ads yet although every once in awhile, there will be some oil company PAC ad or tech PAC ad that makes insinuations against Biden.
John1956PA
(3,147 posts)The spokesperson in the ad introduced himself as a West Point classmate of McCormick. Of course, there was no mention that McCormick is not really a Pennsylvanian, nor was there any mention that he is a multi-millionaire hedge fund operator.
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)like the 9 home(s)/mansions (including a principal NJ mansion), were to Oz!
Traurigkeit
(1,290 posts)The Mouth
(3,250 posts)It would be nice to see them enshrined in the Constitution.
Should *not* be optional.
retread
(3,794 posts)pnwmom
(109,327 posts)They were rallies full of supporters ready to cheer or boo. And the moderator allowed Trump to talk during Biden's time.
I'm glad they took the responsibility away from the Commission.
retread
(3,794 posts)1. No live audience. No Maga sycophants to disrupt.
2. Automatic cutoff of audio if over time limit. I can't wait to see this happen.
Katinfl
(208 posts)That eliminates interruptions and shouting over each other. Trump wanted a big stadium crowd but I believe there will be no audience. Great. Otherwise he will turn it into a circus.
LetMyPeopleVote
(151,425 posts)Cha
(302,367 posts)ananda
(29,811 posts)Dark Brandon strikes again.
KS Toronado
(18,595 posts)Let's see 2 politicians go after each other with everything they got, let voters see who can think on their feet
under pressure. Let's see the lack of knowledge stable geniuses enjoy.
And one bailiff to cut the mikes off when their time has expired.
nowforever
(375 posts)Yes, a real debate. Listening to candidates regurgitating talking points is not a debate.
Traurigkeit
(1,290 posts)bmichaelh
(524 posts)I submitted a question to one of these debates in 2020 and it was ignored.
I asked about Trump's campaign promise to repeal ACA and its impact on millions of Americans.
In a way, it does not matter; Trump will lie anyway.
Is there a point in debating a pathological liar.
Mr.Bill
(24,576 posts)should do or not do something, he does the opposite of what I think and shows me why he is the president and I'm not. I have totally come to trust that he knows best about what to do.
Polybius
(16,755 posts)What debate in modern history was ever before September?
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)Cha
(302,367 posts)BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)(whether "in person" or mail), the timing of the first would occur before that early voting for the general election started (and in this case, it would be just after the last of the primaries and before the conventions).
The 2nd debate would be happening just as some states would start "early voting".
Cha
(302,367 posts)TY!
Polybius
(16,755 posts)I get it, early voting and all. But why not September 1st? June is insane. I think there are other reasons.
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)It's scheduled for September 10th and hosted by ABC.
https://abc.com/news/6abdd5ab-5cdc-48c2-8184-8be2f1a532c1/category/1138628
dchill
(39,565 posts)... And ask him "do you pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?"
keithbvadu2
(38,923 posts)An article years ago talked of monitoring the debaters' physiological signs; breath rate, pulse, temp, sweating, eye movement and such and displaying them on a screen with instantly changing dials for all to see.
And make them visible to each speaker. Think of the entertainment value of them trying to control the readings.
BumRushDaShow
(137,091 posts)with "reaction" plotting.
Article about the 2012 VP debate - https://phys.org/news/2012-10-debate-reactions-real.html