Biden Trump Debate: Importance of General Election Debates

TFD – Delve into the significance of the Biden-Trump debate and its impact on presidential campaigns.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump might be getting closer to facing up on the debate stage before voters choose the next president next year, following a vigorous campaign trail by the former president and his allies.

In a wide-ranging interview with Howard Stern on Friday, Biden demonstrated his strongest commitment to the general election debates by saying he would be “happy to” debate Trump.

“Somewhere is where I am right now. The president remarked, “I’d be pleased to debate him at any time.

Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters,” Trump retorted on Truth Social.

The back-and-forth follows weeks of Republican demands for debates to be held at a louder volume.

Press releases, campaign documents, talking notes for Republican surrogates, and interviews with allies have all included the calls. The basic thrust of the argument is straightforward: Biden must get on stage with Trump as soon as possible because he wants to debate and the American people deserve it.

Will Biden Engage in Debate? That is a persistent problem. Donald Trump consistently states that he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, and at any time when he is on stage, according to a passage from a public memo released by Trump’s co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles on Thursday.

The previous day, Kellyanne Conway, who managed Trump’s 2016 campaign, made it clear that Vice President Kamala Harris need to debate Trump’s choice for running mate as soon as an announcement is made.

Additionally, the Republican National Committee urged supporters to state that “President Trump is ready to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere” and “Americans deserve a full chance to see both candidates on the same stage before they start voting” in talking points surrogates received earlier this month and which CNN was able to obtain. The Trump team argued in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates earlier this month that the debates ought to take place sooner. There has been no response to the effort thus far. Earlier this month, a public letter was produced by twelve news organizations, including CNN, pleading with Trump and Biden to take part in televised debates.

The activities were set to start in mid-September, according to a statement made last year by the impartial Commission on Presidential Debates. However, the commission is still unable to determine which candidates can take the stage based on where they are polling and which are on the ballot at this point in the campaign cycle.

Even though the former president spends the majority of his days in court, Trump and his staff believe that asking for the debates is a good point to make at this time. Republicans want to attack the president on immigration and the economy.

For a variety of reasons, Trump’s campaign is keen to have the former president participate in debates as soon as possible, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN. The campaign requested “much earlier” dates for this year’s general election debates from the Commission on Presidential Debates earlier this month. The source stated that they wanted Trump to be able to reach voters before they make a decision, which is why debates were planned to take place after early voting began in some places.

Forcing Biden’s team to decide on debates in advance is a component of the plan. Trump’s group sees no drawbacks.

The American people need to know why they are hiding from Donald Trump, or [Biden’s campaign] will have to debate, and we do not think he can keep up with Trump,” the insider stated.

Trump’s entourage expressed optimism in the previous president’s debating prowess.

Chris LaCivita, Trump’s co-campaign manager, stated, “They may have gagged Donald Trump in the courtroom, but they’re not going to be able to gag him on the debate stage.

Trump has a patchy history of participating in debates. In 2016, he enthusiastically participated in nearly every Republican primary and every general election discussion. The Commission on Presidential Debates said that the 2020 general election discussion would be conducted virtually because to the Covid-19 outbreak, thus the outgoing president decided not to participate. This season, the former president did not participate in any of the Republican primary debates. However, the Trump campaign is now disputing the idea that Biden would not be required to appear in the fall because Trump did not attend those primary debates.

One top advisor remarked, “It’s likening apples to oranges.”

Proposing earlier debates could also aid in removing third-party contenders who might pose issues for both Biden and Trump. To be eligible for debates during the general election, candidates must fulfill requirements related to polling, ballot access, and eligibility under the constitution. It’s almost a given that Trump and Biden will be allowed to participate in the general election debates, but it’s uncertain if third-party contenders like Cornel West or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be able to fulfill the qualifications. The eligibility for participation in the presidential debates will be decided by the Commission on Presidential Debates after Labor Day.

The insider emphasized that Trump would participate in the debate both with and without a third-party candidate present.

The post of Biden

According to a person familiar with their plans, the Biden team is not in a rush to commit to a certain date or structure for the general election debates.

With some suspicion, Biden’s team has seen Trump’s apparent eagerness for the debate.

Citing prejudice, the Republican National Committee decided almost two years ago to abstain from taking part in the presidential debates organized by the impartial Commission on Presidential Debates. Following months of pressure from the commission’s then-chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to alter several procedures in favor of Trump, the withdrawal occurred. McDaniel made a threat to “forbid future Republican nominees from taking part in CPD-sponsored debates” at one point. (Earlier this year, her employment was terminated.)

Nevertheless, Trump reaffirmed his demand for debates, first the day before Biden’s State of the Union speech and then again earlier this month, as both candidates amassed enough delegates to earn the nominations of their respective parties. The Biden team is unsure of what has changed, if anything, since the Republican Party withdrew from the commission.

The source claimed that the campaign does not see debates as a decisive element in elections, but rather as a single component of the larger effort it is making to reach voters, which also includes organizing itself, setting up offices, and using paid media, among other strategies. While Trump has been spending a lot of his time in court, the Biden team has continued to employ a split-screen approach in recent weeks, attempting to portray the president as governing and campaigning in battleground states.

In earlier debates with his predecessor, Biden had stated to reporters last month, “It depends on his behavior,” without going into greater detail.

“I would want to debate myself if I were him. He stated in February that he had nothing else to do.

The Biden team believes that the 2020 debate with Trump ultimately benefited the then-candidate Biden.

Why argue?

Although the number of people watching debates has changed over time, strategists and operatives who have counseled state and national candidates on debate strategy maintain that debates are still important. However, the importance of those debates goes beyond whether or not viewers watch the candidates square off in real time.

Brett O’Donnell, a seasoned Republican debate coach who has prepared Sen. Mitt Romney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for presidential debates, said, “I think they’re important in this election because folks have a belief of what they think of what Donald Trump would do and what he did as president but they should hear that on stage in comparison to Joe Biden’s record and get a chance to compare those things head to head.

However, there is another reason for Biden and Trump to skip the debate this time around, according to veteran Republican debate coach Mari Will.

“Why would I say that if I were giving either of them advice? ” I would ask, “Why argue?” I mean, I realize that voter involvement benefits the nation, but I believe that voter participation is already rather high,” Will remarked. “I believe that the majority of people have already made up their minds. There is really little that can be convinced. Furthermore, the majority of those who are already lean will most likely return home before the election. That basically remains danger.

According to Will, there is a chance that a candidate will make a mistake or perform badly, which would basically foster a bad impression and cause it to take center stage in the media cycle for a while.

In my opinion, the media narrative that continues for two or three days after the event is more important than the viewers. After that, you can occasionally create advertisements,” Will added. Mostly, what I tell candidates is that the story matters.” You raise an issue that journalists can’t resist reporting on.

However, ignoring them all would go against a decades-old custom of general election candidates participating in debates prior to the election. In 1960, there was the first-ever televised general election discussion. After a hiatus that lasted until 1976, general election debates have featured the nominees of the two opposing parties as well as sporadically a third-party contender.