President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, have agreed to participate in two presidential debates, with the first one scheduled for June 27 on CNN and the second one on September 10 at ABC News studios.
The debates will air on ABC News, ABC News Live, and Hulu.
The agreement comes after Biden challenged Trump to two debates, which Trump accepted, but proposed additional debates in July, August, and October.
However, the Biden campaign appears to have rejected the additional debates, stating that they have already agreed to two debates and will not engage in further discussions.
The Biden campaign has outlined conditions for the debates, including that they be hosted by a broadcast organization that has previously hosted primary debates for both parties, and that the moderator be selected from the host’s regular personnel to avoid any perceived bias.
Additionally, the campaign has requested that the debates be structured to allow for a serious exchange of ideas, without an in-person audience or disruptive spectators.
The debates will be limited to Biden and Trump, excluding independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has criticized the decision as an attempt to exclude him from the debate.
The debates will have firm time limits for answers, and alternate turns to speak, to ensure an exchange of views rather than a spectacle of mutual interruption.
A candidate’s microphone will only be on when it is their turn to speak.
The Biden campaign has emphasized the importance of debates as a way for voters to compare the candidates’ records and visions for the future, and has called for a more serious and substantive approach to the debates.