The biggest media outlets in the United States have joined forces to make a single plea to Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Please debate. We need something to talk about over the summer.
ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX News Media, NBCUniversal News Group, NewsNation, Noticias Univision (Univision Network News), NPR, PBS NewsHour, and USA TODAY penned a joint letter over the weekend advocating for at least one presidential debate.
The media outlets stated:
With the contours of the 2024 general election now coming into clear focus, we – the undersigned national news organizations – urge the presumptive presidential nominees to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November’s election.
General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years, dating to 1976. In each of those elections, tens of millions have tuned in to watch the candidates debating side by side, in a competition of ideas for the votes of American citizens.
Since 1988, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored all presidential general election debates. The Commission has previously announced dates, times, and eligibility criteria for 2024 debates. Though it is too early for invitations to be extended to any candidates, it is not too early for candidates who expect to meet the eligibility criteria to publicly state their support for – and their intention to participate in – the Commission’s debates planned for this fall.
If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high. Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.
Although he didn’t debate Ron DeSantis and the other Republican challengers, former President Donald Trump has begun placing an empty podium on stage, saying he will debate Biden any time and any place.
Biden has so far declined to commit to doing a debate against Trump. When asked if he planned to have a sparring match, the president weirdly said, “It depends on his behavior.”
Presidential debates have traditionally occurred in the fall before the November election.
[Read More: There Has Never Been A Bigger Contrast Between Trump and Biden]
