A consortium of major news organizations, including ABC News, The Associated Press, and CNN, have published an open letter calling on President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to commit to participating in televised debates ahead of the 2024 election. The letter emphasizes the importance of general election debates in the democratic process and urges candidates to publicly commit to taking part in these debates before the November election. The goal is to ensure that the American people have the opportunity to see a competition of ideas between the candidates for their votes.
President Biden has not publicly committed to debating Trump, stating that his decision would depend on Trump’s behavior. The Commission on Presidential Debates has already scheduled three presidential debates for September and October in various states. Despite the Republican National Committee voting to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates, Trump has expressed willingness to debate Biden anytime and anywhere, leading his campaign managers to request earlier debates and more of them.
Historically, presidential debates were conducted as good-spirited discussions on public policy issues. However, Trump’s behavior in the last two presidential cycles has been marked by uncontrolled outbursts, lies, and personal insults directed at his opponents. For this reason, Biden’s team is considering the strategic implications of engaging with Trump in a debate setting, especially considering Trump’s track record of violating debate rules and causing chaos during debates.
The news organizations stress the importance of candidates debating with each other before the American people to present their visions for the future of the nation. The stakes of the 2024 election are considered exceptionally high, and the debates serve as a critical platform for the candidates to communicate their policies and proposals to the electorate. Despite the challenges of engaging in debates with a candidate known for disruptive behavior, the news organizations believe that the American people deserve the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates in a debate format.
The letter represents a unified effort by major news organizations to ensure that the tradition of televised presidential debates continues in the 2024 election cycle. The news organizations are calling for a commitment from Biden and Trump to participate in these debates to provide voters with a crucial opportunity to compare the candidates’ positions and qualifications. With the commission already having scheduled debates and Trump expressing willingness to engage in debates with Biden, the stage is set for the potential showdown between the two candidates leading up to the November election.
