Campaign managers for Donald Trump attack the Commission on Presidential Debates for adhering to the initial schedule of debates.

TFD – Dive into the controversy as Donald Trump’s campaign managers criticize the Presidential Debate Commission over the debate schedule.

The Commission on Presidential sessions came under fire on Tuesday from the campaign managers of former president Donald Trump, who had called for the commission to move the debate dates earlier and hold additional sessions. Instead, Fox News reported that the commission would adhere to its original timetable.

The campaigns of Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, the campaign managers for Trump, issued a statement in which they invited “every television network in America that wishes to host a debate” and urged Joe Biden’s team to work with them to schedule a debate “as soon as possible.”

Republicans have been pushing for debates between Trump and Biden to happen as soon as feasible for weeks.

The schedule for the Presidential Debate Commission doesn’t start until after millions of voters have completed their votes. The statement from LaCivita and Wiles states, “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.

Joe Biden recently agreed to debate, and President Trump has declared he will do so whenever, wherever, and whenever. With or without the Presidential Debate Commission, we are dedicated to seeing this through,” they continued. We once again urge Joe Biden’s campaign to collaborate with us to arrange a debate as soon as feasible, and we extend an invitation to any American television network that would like to host one. The people of America merit it.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has been contacted by CNN.

“The CPD’s criteria […] will be applied in early September; afterward, the Commission will extend debate invitations to qualifying candidates,” the commission stated in a statement to Fox News earlier on Tuesday, indicating that it was remaining true to its original timeline.

According to Fox News, the commission’s announcement states, “The CPD is proceeding with production and broadcast plans at its four debate sites as also announced on November 20, 2023.”

Surrogates have been urged by the Republican National Committee to demand that Biden engage in television interviews with Trump for a debate. Additionally, Trump and his campaign have released a number of comments in which they essentially restate the former president’s readiness to debate Biden at any time and location.

The underlying message of these calls highlights the difference that Republicans and Trump want to draw between Biden and the previous president: whereas Biden is less gregarious and willing to take the stage, the former president is.

However, Biden recently stated that he would be “happy to debate” Trump in an interview with Howard Stern. He has wavered in the past, stating that it would depend on how the former president acts.

From his early days in the presidential campaign, Trump’s record in debates has been inconsistent. There have been times when he has been eager to debate his opponents, such as in 2016. However, the front-runner of the Republican Party in the 2024 Republican primary managed to secure the party nomination despite missing all of the debates.

After months of then-chair Ronna McDaniel pressuring the committee to alter the debates in response to Trump’s complaints, the RNC voted decisively two years ago to withdraw from the debates organized by the Committee on Presidential Debates.