Biden, Trump to debate June 27, again in September
New poll has Biden down in 5 of 6 battleground states
New polls from The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer found President Biden trailing in five of the presidential battleground states. The Biden camp on Monday dismissing their significance and arguing that the president still has six months left before Election Day to persuade voters to support him.
A June 27 debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will air on CNN, both presidential candidates announced Wednesday.
Biden said he’s accepted CNN’s invitation, then added on X (formerly Twitter), "Over to you, Donald."
"As you said: anywhere, any time, any place," Biden said on X.
Trump, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital that he "will be there."
This combination of pictures created on October 22, 2020 shows former US President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden during the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOW
"I'm ready to go," Trump told Fox News Digital. "The dates that they proposed are fine. Anywhere. Anytime. Any place. Let's see if Joe can make it to the stand-up podium."
Before agreeing to the CNN debate, Biden announced that he wouldn’t participate in the traditional fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades. Biden's campaign instead proposed that media outlets directly organize the debates with the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, with the first to be held in late June and the second in September before early voting begins.
Both candidates have also accepted a second debate on Sept. 10, hosted by ABC.
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The two campaigns are still working out the details and disagree on key issues, including rules and moderators. CNN said the June 27 debate won’t have a live audience, something Trump has been pushing for.
"I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds - That’s only because he doesn’t get them," Trump said.
It’s not clear whether third-party candidates – including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – will be allowed to participate. Biden’s camp wants Kennedy excluded.
The debate will take place in Atlanta.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.