Will Joe Biden dodge debating Donald Trump if he’s the Democrat nominee for the 2024 presidential election?

A top Democrat senator thinks Biden should “think twice” about stepping on the debate stage with Trump.

“I would think twice about it,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) commented.

“It’s just an opportunity for him to display his extremism,” he added.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) expressed similar sentiment about Biden debating Trump.

According to Business Insider, Coons said Trump’s conduct at the 2020 presidential election debates and his refusal to participate in the 2024 GOP primary debates “would make a pretty strong case for not dignifying him as a candidate by sharing a debate stage.”

The Hill reports:

Democratic lawmakers are leery about the prospect of President Biden debating former President Trump, fearing that putting the two on stage together would only elevate the likely GOP nominee.

Trump has skipped every Republican presidential primary debate thus far but says he’s eager to debate Biden.

He told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt before Christmas that he would “look forward” to facing Biden and suggested 10 debates.

Democratic lawmakers, however, are not relishing that scenario.

“I would think twice about it,” said Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) about the prospect of Biden debating Trump.

“I’ve been physically present at one of [Trump’s] debates with Hillary Clinton, and I watched him do outrageous things and say outrageous things. It’s just an opportunity for him to display his extremism.”

From Business Insider:

Trump, meanwhile, has shown an eagerness to debate Biden that he hasn’t shown toward his rivals, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former Ambassador Nikki Haley.

“Oh, will I look forward to that,” Trump recently told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “How about 10 debates?”

That’s despite the Republican National Committee voting in 2022 to withdraw from debates held by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan organization that conservatives have accused of bias.

Typically, the commission is the sole organizer of presidential and vice presidential debates.

“They are totally corrupt, and they’re terrible,” Trump told Hewitt. “With that being said, I would do 20 debates even if it was organized by them.”

In 2020, the presidential debates between Trump and Biden were broadly seen as chaotic and damaging to the former president’s reelection bid — one was even canceled due to Trump’s COVID diagnosis.

At the same time, some Democrats are concerned that future debates between Trump and Biden could go off the rails in a way that benefits the former president.

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.