Biden and Trump agree on debates in June and September, but working out details could be challenging
Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates in June and September, but there were no guarantees that they would happen as their camps appeared far apart on key details like the setting and ground rules for the potential face-offs.
The quick agreement on the timetable to meet followed the Democrat's announcement that he will not participate in fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades. Biden's campaign instead proposed that media outlets directly organize the debates with the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, with the first to be held in late June and the second in September before early voting begins. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, said he was «Ready and Willing to Debate» Biden at the proposed times.
Hours later, Biden said he accepted an invitation from CNN to a debate on June 27, adding, «Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, anytime, any place.» Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to the June 27 debate proposal.
Still, the two sides appeared to be hold significant differences on key questions of how to organize the debates, including agreeing on media partners, moderators, location and rules — some of the very questions that prompted the formation of the Commission on Presidential Debates in 1987. Biden's proposal would exclude third-party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Trump's
