Former US president Donald Trump has challenged incumbent American leader Joe Biden to a debate after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming elections. Both Trump and Biden ducked debates with challengers during the primaries.
Trump became the last GOP candidate standing on Wednesday, after former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley suspended her campaign.
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,” Trump said Wednesday on his own platform, Truth Social. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the invitation, referring reporters to Biden’s campaign and trying to stay on the subject of Thursday’s State of the Union speech.
The campaign responded soon, with spokesman Michael Tyler telling Fox News that debates are “a conversation we’ll have at the appropriate time in this cycle.”
“I know Donald Trump’s thirsty for attention and struggling to expand his appeal beyond the MAGA base,” Tyler added, referring to Trump’s campaign slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’. “But if he’s so desperate to see President Biden in prime time, he doesn’t have to wait!”
Biden is scheduled to give his annual address to both houses of Congress on Thursday evening. Trump has already said he would “correct, in rapid response, any and all inaccurate statements” in a “live, play-by-play” series of social media posts.
Neither candidate has taken part in debates during the primary process. While the GOP held five events, the Democratic National Committee announced last year it had no intent of holding any. Biden’s challengers Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson participated in two unofficial debates in early January; the president was not invited to the first, and ignored the second.
The Commission on Presidential Debates – a NGO composed of Republicans and Democrats – has scheduled the official presidential debates for September 16 in Texas, October 1 in Virginia, and October 9 in Utah.
