Trump slams potential rules changes for future Biden debates
President Trump on Thursday slammed potential changes to rules for future presidential debates after the acrimonious first clash with Joe Biden this week.
“Why would I allow the Debate Commission to change the rules for the second and third Debates when I easily won last time?” Trump wrote on Twitter.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, which since 1987 has organized the forums, said Wednesday it’s considering moves to make the two additional debates more orderly.
“Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues,” the commission said.
“The [commission] will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly.”
Among the reported possibilities is empowering debate moderators to cut off the microphones of candidates if they interrupt each other or the moderator.
On a Trump campaign call Thursday, senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters that “we do not want any changes to what has already been laid out and has been agreed to for the second and third debates.”
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien told reporters “Biden is a creature of this city. He’s been cozying up to [DC] wheelers-and-dealers and insiders in this city for the last half century, and lo-and-behold that’s exactly who runs this commission.”
Trump recently blasted the commission after he unsuccessfully sought to reschedule a debate with Biden to early September, so voters could tune in before casting mail-in ballots.
“The problem is that the so-called Commission on Presidential Debates is stacked with Trump Haters & Never Trumpers. 3 years ago they were forced to publicly apologize for modulating my microphone in the first debate against Crooked Hillary,” Trump tweeted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called on Biden to drop out of future debates. “I think one and done,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
Biden resisted an earlier push by Pelosi to not debate Trump at all, and after the first forum, his staff said Biden would still debate Trump on Oct. 15 in Miami and Oct. 22 in Nashville, Tenn.
The first debate was riddled with insults and interruptions. Trump hectored Biden about his son Hunter’s business dealings in China, Russia and Ukraine.
Biden said Wednesday that Trump’s debate performance was a “national embarrassment.” On the debate stage, the former vice president attacked Trump, calling him a “clown,” and told him to “shut up, man!” as Trump pressed him to answer whether he supports “packing” the Supreme Court with more than nine justices.
Trump jeered Biden during a Wednesday night rally in Duluth, Minnesota, and claimed he trounced his opponent.
“Joe Biden is too weak to lead this country. You know Biden lost badly when his supporters are saying he should cancel the rest of the debates,” Trump said.