Debates have been an integral part of elections since the dawn of democracy. One viewpoint pitted against another helps people make decisions.
Debates in the last year have taken on a new look. Republican primary challengers faced off for the traditional debates as voters reviewed the potential candidates. But former President Donald Trump skipped the debates. While almost all the other candidates dropped out of the race, he has gained momentum with rallies while absent from the debate stage.
Joe Biden hasn’t debated anyone in years. His party decided to undercut any primary challengers and protect him from himself. His inability to stay focused while speaking and his tendency to create viral gaffes while speaking warranted his hiding from any primary competition.
Trump just called out Biden and challenged him to “immediate” debates. Biden’s response was to avoid the challenge and insult his potential 2024 presidential election opponent.
From Fox News:
“Immediately? Well, if I were him, I’d want to debate me, too. He’s got nothing else to do,” Biden told reporters.
Biden’s team has criticized Trump for wanting to debate the incumbent after the GOP front-runner skipped all the primary debates. Trump’s team argued that his commanding lead against all GOP opponents made it unnecessary to debate challengers lagging so far behind. Trump said it’s time to go head-to-head with Biden on stage.
“I’d like to debate him now because we should debate. We should debate for the good of the country,” Trump said.
Trump previously said that the Commission on Presidential Debates is a “corrupt” organization. The commission facilitates the presidential debates. The commission has so many faults that the Republican National Committee withdrew from the organization in 2022.
“They’re totally Democrat-leaning; that’s being nice when I use the word ‘leaning,’” Trump said in December. “They are totally corrupt, and they’re terrible.
Still, Trump said he would participate in “20 debates” even if it was organized by the commission. He wants to force Biden to get on stage and show the world what he has.
“I’ll do as many debates as they want,” Trump said. “I’d do a debate every night with this guy. But he’ll never show up to a debate.”
To date the debate commission has three general election debates scheduled. Neither Trump nor Biden has committed to participate.
Biden’s back-handed insult thrown at Trump with this latest debate challenge exposed the incumbent’s state of mind when confronted on the issue. Biden’s handlers would likely freak out if he had to step on the stage with Trump at any time. That’s if he could find the stage by himself.
Key Takeaways:
- Biden responded to Trump’s debate challenge with a back-handed insult.
- Trump said it’s time for Biden to face him for the “good of the country.”
- Trump stated he would debate every night against Biden “immediately.”
Source: Fox News
