Twelve American news organisations have called on President Biden and Donald Trump to agree to televised debates, amid concerns the two leading candidates for the presidency could break 50 years of tradition and decline to face off on stage.
An open letter signed by broadcasters, news agencies and outlets on both sides of the political aisle — including USA Today, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News — maintained there was “simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation” .
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, declined to participate in his party’s several primary debates for this election. Biden, as the incumbent Democratic president with the support of his party, did not take part in any primary debates either.
Asked in March if he would debate his rival, Biden said that it “depends on his behaviour”. While the former president, 77, has often claimed Biden, 81, is too old to debate, Trump said last month he would take part in a TV forum “anytime, anywhere, anyplace”.
Debates between presidential candidates, which usually bring their hosts strong ratings, have become part of the fabric of modern US politics. The first ones, in 1960 between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy, were followed by a 16-year gap but once they resumed in 1976 with President Ford and Jimmy Carter they have become all but mandatory.
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The joint statement from news outlets said a debate was needed during “this polarised time” in America. It added: “General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years … In each of those elections, tens of millions have tuned in to watch the candidates debating side by side, in a competition of ideas for the votes of American citizens.”
At Biden and Trump’s first debate before the 2020 election, Biden, exasperated at being repeatedly interrupted, turned to his opponent and said: “Will you shut up, man?” Another debate was cancelled after Trump contracted Covid-19. At another, the candidates’ microphones were muted when it was not their turn to speak.
The Commission on Presidential Debates has already announced dates and venues for 2024. The first debate, which is typically the most watched, is to take place at Texas State University on September 16, before the election is held on November 5.
Trump’s campaign has said he is eager to debate Biden and would like the debates to be held earlier in the year, to take account of early voting. It has also said it would seek assurances that the moderator is impartial. In a rally at the weekend, Trump appeared beside an empty podium which he said was for Biden.
The debates draw in a huge number of viewers. Trump’s first debate with Hillary Clinton in 2016 was the most-viewed on record, with 84 million people watching. The last between Biden and Trump drew 65 million viewers, on average.
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The latest polls suggest Biden is closing the gap on the former president. A New York Times/Siena College survey suggested he had whittled down the four-point lead Trump held among registered voters in February to only one point, with Biden polling at 45 per cent to Trump’s 46 per cent.
Biden has also built up a significant fundraising advantage, with his campaign saying recently that it had $192 million in cash to spend, compared with Trump’s $93 million.
Much of Trump’s cash has been diverted to his several criminal and civil cases.
Over the weekend, he called for donations from supporters in the light of Iran’s attack on Israel, claiming that “This would NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, ZERO CHANCE if your favorite President, me, was in the Oval Office”. The email, which called on them to “Make Iran Pay”, led to a donations page suggesting contributions of up to $3,300 (£2,652).
