Hi John,
In case you missed it, President Biden announced on Howard Stern’s radio show that he’d be open to debating former President Trump in this year’s presidential race.
“I don't know when, but I am happy to debate him,” said President Biden, who had previously conditioned his participation on Trump obeying the rules of debate.
Former President Trump, for his part, shot back on his Truth Social platform, saying he’d debate Biden “anywhere, anytime.”
It’s an important development considering President Biden has been less available to the media than any of his recent predecessors and that former President Trump sat out the chance to debate his primary opponents last fall.
Regardless of which presidential candidate you prefer, we should all agree they owe it to the American people to stand before the nation and share their competing visions for where they want to take us in 2025 and beyond.
Ever since more than 60 million Americans tuned in to watch John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon participate in the first televised presidential debate in 1960, these debates have played a critical role in our democracy. They have often shifted perception of candidates and the votes of Americans.
Our country faces so many challenges right now, from our soaring debt and deficit to the crisis at our southern border and the looming threat of China. Without the spotlight of a presidential debate, we’d have no chance to see the two leading candidates exchange their views on these major problems. These issues are simply too important to only be litigated in a procession of 30-second attack ads.
