President Joe Biden’s campaign rejected two additional proposed debates on Friday, one for a presidential debate hosted by NBC News and Telemundo, and the other for a vice presidential debate hosted by Fox News at a historically Black college, Virginia State University. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign claimed it had agreed to participate in these debates, with Trump stating that it was important for Republicans to reach Hispanic and Black communities that Biden has allegedly let down. The NBC News confirmed they had offered a debate to both campaigns, but the Biden campaign rejected the proposals, declaring that the “debate about debates is over.”
Trump’s acceptance of debates that would have reached larger Latino and Black audiences appeared to provoke the Biden campaign, which has been facing challenges in connecting with these critical voting blocs. The Trump campaign accused Biden of being too cowardly to face the Hispanic community on the debate stage to defend his record. The Biden campaign official responded by stating that they were no longer interested in playing games regarding debates, indicating that they would not be participating in the proposed debates. Both campaigns have accepted offers for presidential debates hosted by CNN and ABC News and a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, but the status of the latter debate remains uncertain as the Trump campaign has not responded to the proposal.
The traditional process for organizing debates set by the Commission on Presidential Debates was bypassed by both the Trump and Biden campaigns, who agreed to two presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate separately. The first presidential debate is scheduled to be hosted by CNN in Atlanta on June 27, and a second one by ABC News on September 10, with the location yet to be determined. The Biden campaign left the door open for the possibility of having CNN or ABC News partner with Spanish-language channels like Telemundo or Univision for the debates. The candidates have to meet certain requirements to participate in the debates, including being on the ballot in enough states to reach 270 electoral votes and receiving at least 15% support in four national polls.
The agreement for the upcoming debates came together rapidly, following private conversations between the two campaigns that began after Biden expressed willingness to debate Trump in a radio interview. The Trump campaign quickly agreed to the proposed debates after the Biden campaign challenged them, with Trump set to appear in the first debate in Atlanta on June 27 if he shows up. The Biden campaign emphasized that the terms for the debates are clear and that there would be no more chaos or debate about debates. Despite the initial back and forth between the campaigns, the debates are still on track to take place as agreed upon, with both sides having confirmed participation in the previously agreed-upon debates hosted by major news networks.
