Trump’s advisers say that the proposed debate schedule “simply comes too late” when factoring in early voting
Published April 11, 2024 5:58PM (EDT)
U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in the final presidential debate at Belmont University on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Ramping up to the grand finale this election year, a proposed debate schedule has been laid out for Donald Trump and Joe Biden to go head-to-head on key policy issues, with the first debate set to take place on Sept. 16, the second on Oct. 1, and the last to take place on Oct. 9. But in a letter drafted by Trump’s co-campaign managers on Thursday, they’re pushing to get these going a bit sooner, with additional debates added on to give voters a chance to hear everything they need to hear before pushing buttons at the polls.
“While the Commission on Presidential Debates has already announced three presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate to occur later this year, we are in favor of these debates beginning much earlier,” Trump’s co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in their letter, highlighting their concern that the proposed calendar “simply comes too late” when factoring in the number of Americans who will be voting early.
Wiles and LaCivita added that moving things up will “ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting, and we would argue for adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule.”
During the Republican primary debates, Trump sat on the bench, but now that the finish line is in sight he says he’s willing to debate Biden “anytime, anyplace and anywhere,” starting “now,” according to NBC News.