Multiple media organizations have written an open letter to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to request the two presidential candidates participate in a debate.
Signed by 12 major media organizations, the letter urges the two candidates to duke it out in a debate hosted by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored presidential debates since 1988.
The media organizations stated in the letter that presidential debates have a “rich tradition in our American democracy,” with debates being held every election year since 1976.
“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,” the letter reads.
“If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” the letter adds. “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.”
The media organizations that signed the letter include ABC News, the Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX News Media, NBC Universal News Group, NewsNation, Noticias Univision (Univision Network News), NPR, PBS NewsHour, and USA TODAY.
The letter comes as the Biden administration has been unwilling to commit to the president participating in debates leading up to the election. In December, Biden’s campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, said that his team would “look at the schedule” and determine whether it would happen, as reported by the Associated Press.
Fulks also referenced the Republicans’ “divisive primary, where their front-runner is not attending debates,” noting that Trump’s decision against debating other Republican candidates could play a role in Biden’s decision, per AP.
After his State of the Union address in March, the president said he was not against debating Trump before the election but that it “depends on his behavior,” per ABC News.
The former president has already voiced his desire to debate Biden before the election, stating in a social media post that he was prepared to have the debate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace,” reported BBC.
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,” he wrote in his post.
In response to Trump’s prior requests for debates, Biden previously told reporters, “If I were him, I’d want him to debate me, too. He’s got nothing else to do,” CNN reported.
It remains to be seen whether the two presidential candidates will face off on stage before the general election, with neither commenting about the media urging them to debate.
