Now that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have solidified themselves as the Republican and Democratic nominees, many are beginning to wonder if we will see any debates this presidential cycle.
While he may have ducked out on debates against former GOP nominees, deciding not to debate any of the candidates looking to take the reins to the party from him, Trump is all in on a potential debate with Biden, saying on social media last week he would do it “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”
Late last week, Biden responded to the call out from Trump, saying that he was open to debating Trump but that it depended on the former president’s “behavior,” Reuters reported.
Still, Biden’s comments are not a commitment to participating in the debates with Trump, and if he decides to skip them, it would mark the first time in 50 years without a debate between the general election candidates.
After the 2020 debates, Trump and the GOP accused the Commission on Presidential Debates, the group responsible for every debate since 1988, of being biased against Trump.
In a Truth Social post, Trump appeared to double down on this belief but still said he would match up against Biden, who he has repeatedly claimed would not pass a cognitive exam.
“The Debates can be run by the Corrupt [Democratic National Committee], or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). I look forward to receiving a response,” Trump said.
On Tuesday, Trump put a timetable on the potential debate, saying they must happen “immediately” for the “good of our now failing Nation.”
Biden’s campaign said the calls for debates were just Trump being “thirsty for attention.”
This isn’t the first back-and-forth between Trump and Biden when it comes to a potential debate, leading to more speculation about whether or not it will actually happen.
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Last month, Biden said, “If I were him, I would want to debate me, too,” after Trump said it was their “obligation” to debate as their party’s candidates.
“He’s got nothing else to do,” the president said, The Hill reported at the time.
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