It’s happening!
Political candidates only debate when they have to, which is why Donald Trump skipped out on the primary debates. It’s also why President Joe Biden, whose poll numbers have slid from ominous to abysmal over the past couple years, agreed yesterday to two debates with his opponent in the upcoming November presidential election. It’s also why Trump, who is hated so vehemently that it could cost him the election against one of the most unpopular presidents in history, also agreed to the debates.
Both campaigns, in fact, agreed to the debate proposal and its terms within a couple hours of one another. CNN will host the first face-off on June 27—Dana Busch and Jake Tapper have already been selected to moderate. ABC will host the rematch on September 10.
Not all details are quite settled, of course, but Trump seems to have agreed to abide by two of Biden’s make-or-break conditions:
Biden had insisted that there be no audience. He knows Trump is good at feeling out and playing to the crowd, and Biden doesn’t want Trump’s supporters flooding the audience or influencing the course and tenor of a debate that should, the President believes, should be closely focused on policy.
Biden also insisted that the moderator have a mute button. When one candidate is speaking, the other candidate’s mic will not function. The goal of this condition is to prevent Trump from buffaloing and interrupting Biden like he did during their first 2020 debate.
News of the debates hit the public sphere on Wednesday morning at 8 AM eastern time, when Biden posted a snide video to social media telling Trump “Make my day.”
Trump responded with his Truth Social account, saying that Biden is the worst debater the former President has ever gone up against, adding that Biden can barely put two sentences together.
The last debate which had as much potential importance to the Presidential election results happened in 1980, when Ronald Reagan famously used his wit and calm to end the Carter presidency.
