After some days of back-and-forth over the official upcoming debate schedule being too late and too lacking, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have each accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in a June 27 debate.
According to reports, Biden informed the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) that he would not be participating in the already-scheduled fall debate lineup. Trump had also expressed concerns over the CPD schedule noting that most of the debates take place after early voting for the presidential election would’ve already been underway for weeks.
The result, according to CNN, is a likely debate on June 27 and then a second debate in September:
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have both accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, a historically early showdown that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign.
“I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden said in a post on X.
Trump later told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “The answer is yes, I will accept.”
The news is the latest development in a quickly escalating tit-for-tat over debates between the two political rivals. Biden’s campaign earlier called on Trump to join him for two presidential debates hosted by news organizations and formally informed the Commission on Presidential Debates that the president will not participate in its previously scheduled fall debates. The former president quickly said he was on board with earlier debates and told radio host Hugh Hewitt that he would accept any moderator.
As for the format, the June 27 debate will take place in Atlanta at CNN’s headquarters with no audience present:
According to a news release from CNN, the debate will be held in the network’s Atlanta studios with no audience present – an anomaly in debates between presidential candidates. The first televised presidential debates, between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960, occurred in television studios with no live audience present. Debates did not take place again until the 1976 election, and from then on took place in front of live audiences who were instructed to not make noise aside from the beginning and ends of the debate.
Moderators for the debate and additional details will come at a later time, the announcement said.
Update
A second Trump-Biden debate has been confirmed for Tuesday, Sept. 10 to be held at the ABC News studio, according to ABC:
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, are set to face off in an ABC News presidential debate in September.
Trump and Biden said they have both agreed to a prime-time debate at ABC News studios on Sept. 10.
Trump has also accepted a debate offer from Fox News but Biden has not yet commented or committed to the event which would be held in October.
More details to come as the story develops…
Donate Now to Support Election Central
- Help defend independent journalism
- Directly support this website and our efforts