President Joe Biden declined to take part in additional debates, despite former President Donald Trump’s claim that Biden had agreed to participate. NBC News and Telemundo were set to host the first presidential debate, as confirmed by NBC News. Additionally, Fox News at Virginia State University was scheduled to host a vice presidential debate at a historically black college.
Trump announced the now-defunct agreement Friday “I have accepted a fourth Presidential Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, this time with NBC & Telemundo,” Trump said:
“It is important as Republicans that we WIN with our Great Hispanic Community, who Biden has devastated with Crippling Inflation, High Gas Prices, Crime in our Streets, and Border Chaos. This Fourth Debate will go along with our previously accepted Presidential Debates on CNN, ABC, and Fox. This is all in addition to our accepting an invitation from Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum of Fox News to host the Vice Presidential Debate at Virginia State University, or another venue, in Virginia, to be named later. These are the Debates that Voters have been asking for, and these are the Debates that Voters will get!”
Biden quickly rejected the debates: “The debate about debates is over,” a Biden campaign said. “No more games.”
On Wednesday, President Biden expressed his preference for CNN to host at least one presidential debate. The Biden campaign has specified that the debates with Trump will take place in June and September, with no live audiences in attendance. The first debate will be co-hosted by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. In response, Trump accepted Biden’s invitation and encouraged the president to engage in earlier and more frequent debates.
“I’m ready to go…The dates that they proposed are fine…Let’s see if Joe can make it to the stand-up podium,” Trump reportedly told Fox News Digital. “The proposed June and early September dates are fully acceptable to me. I will provide my own transportation.”
