On Tuesday, the campaign of former President Donald Trump issued a scathing statement aimed at the commission that has handled the scheduling and moderation of presidential debates for decades.
The supposedly non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates has four total debates scheduled beginning in the middle of September and wrapping up just weeks before Election Day on Nov. 5.
Trump’s campaign called the schedule “unacceptable” as the debates were confirmed after President Joe Biden agreed to participate, The Hill reported.
The campaign argued that the commission needed to move up the dates because early voting laws in many states would mean ballots will have been cast by the time the debates are over.
The commission did not budge when Trump’s camp raised the issue.
Trump campaign representatives Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles ripped the commission in a joint statement to the outlet.
“The Presidential Debate Commission’s schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots,” the duo said.
LaCivita and Wiles added, “This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins.”
Trump’s campaign added he would participate in debates no matter what, but that they might go around the commission.
Will Trump win in November?
“We are committed to making this happen with or without the Presidential Debate Commission,” the campaign said. “We extend an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and we once again call on Joe Biden’s team to work with us to set one up as soon as possible.”
The commission’s first debate is scheduled for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
A vice presidential debate is scheduled for a week later on Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Trump and Biden will square off two more times — on Oct. 1 at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, and on Oct. 9 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
Each debate will be 90 minutes in duration, with no commercial breaks.
The Commission on Presidential Debates came under heavy fire in 2020 for choosing moderators that showed what many voters saw as a clear bias against Trump.
In separate forums, NBC’s Kristen Welker and then-Fox News host Chris Wallace each presided over what were largely viewed as one-sided debates in which Biden was not adequately challenged on substantive issues.
Remember the Trump Vs Biden debate in 2020?
Kristen Welker stopped Trump from talking about the #LaptopFromHell and instead wanted to deceive the public with her race baiting banter 😲
Well guess who @GOPChairwoman has appointed to be the host of the next GOP debate 😤… pic.twitter.com/dFtHw8Oanc
— Todd With Trump (@THeinrich22) October 27, 2023
One debate that year was canceled when Trump was diagnosed with COVID in the White House and reportedly declined to attend virtually.
Trump wanted the debate rescheduled, so he could attend in person.
