In the lead-up to a potential White House rematch, former President Donald Trump has issued a challenge to President Joe Biden for televised debates.
The republican expressed his willingness to participate in a TV forum with the Democratic president “anytime, anywhere, anyplace,” making the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social, in all capital letters.
Trump’s call for debates followed the withdrawal of his last Republican rival, Nikki Haley, from the race for the Republican nomination.
Emphasizing the importance of debating crucial issues for the nation, Trump suggested that these debates could be facilitated by either the Democratic National Committee or the Commission on Presidential Debates, an organization overseeing presidential debates for the past 30 years.
Trump, however, labelled the commission as a “subsidiary” of the Democratic party, accusing it of bias despite declaring itself non-partisan.
The former president, aged 77, has previously claimed that Biden, 81, is too old and forgetful to engage in debates, while Biden has countered by suggesting Trump may be senile.
The White House Press Secretary, when questioned about the possibility of Biden refusing a debate, directed inquiries to the president’s re-election campaign.
In response to Trump’s challenge, the Biden campaign did not confirm whether the president would participate in debates but urged Trump to watch Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address to Congress.
Michael Tyler, Biden campaign communications director, stated, “That’s a conversation we’ll have at the appropriate time in this cycle.” He further invited Trump to join the millions tuning into the State of the Union.
Trump, criticized previously for avoiding debates during the 2020 election cycle, asserted that he would watch Biden’s State of the Union address and provide a “rapid response” to correct any statements made by the current president.
Notably, Trump and Biden engaged in two debates during the 2020 election. The scheduling of debates ahead of the November election remains unconfirmed at this point.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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