Donald Trump revealed Wednesday he agreed to the latest debate request from Joe Biden’s campaign.
The Biden campaign apparently requested the two candidates “sit at a table” during the debates.
Trump disclosed the request during an interview with John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby on the “Cats & Cosby Show” on WABC 770 AM.
“I hear now we’re sitting at tables. I don’t want to sit at a table,” Trump said, according to the New York Post.
“I said, ‘No, let’s stand.’ But they want to sit at a table. So we’ll be sitting at a table as opposed to doing it the way you should be, in my opinion, in a debate,” he continued.
Trump reveals he has agreed to “sit at a table” with Joe Biden, despite his strong preference to stand, during their upcoming debates.
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From the New York Post:
The presumptive Republican nominee for president explained that his personal preference would be to “walk out to a podium” and “stand for an hour and a half or two hours.”
“But they have [Biden] sitting at a table, so that’s not so good,” Trump said, calling the seated debate format “one of the many” requests the Biden campaign insisted on.
“But I agree to their requests because I want to debate him,” the former president told Catsimatidis and Cosby, noting that he intends to press Biden on the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“If [Biden] gets through the debate, they’ll say it was brilliant,” Trump argued.
"I agreed to a debate with Crooked Joe Biden on CNN with Fake Tapper. I think they'll be fair!" 😂 😂 – President @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/n8L019erId
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 24, 2024
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are currently scheduled to participate in two debates.
CNN will host the first debate on June 27th, while ABC News will host a presidential debate on September 10th.
Donald Trump Accepts Joe Biden’s Debate Offer, Two Dates Scheduled
Trump previously said he’s going to demand a drug test from Joe Biden ahead of their scheduled presidential debates.
“I just want to debate this guy, but you know – and I’m going to demand a drug test too, by the way,” Trump said during his address at the Minnesota Republican Party’s Lincoln Reagan Dinner in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“I am, no I really am. I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union, he was high as a kite,” he added.
WATCH:
Trump: I want to debate this guy but I’m going to demand a drug test pic.twitter.com/X9NCGloqoU
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 18, 2024
Per Daily Caller:
In addition to no live audience, Biden’s campaign proposed that the debates only be held by networks that hosted the 2016 Republican primary debates and the 2020 Democratic primary debates in 2020, The NYT reported. Those networks include CNN, ABC News, Telemundo and CBS News.
Another contention the campaign had was that they wanted the forum limited to Trump and Biden on stage. The rule would exclude Robert F. Kennedy, who had the potential to reach the 15% polling threshold set by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Kennedy did announced after the news of the CNN debate that he would “meet the criteria” before the deadline to participate in CNN’s forum.
Since, Biden and Trump have both accepted two debates: one on June 27 broadcasted on CNN and the other Sept. 10 on ABC News. Trump has accepted a proposal for a vice presidential debate on Fox News, though the Biden campaign has not. Instead, the Biden campaign accepted CBS News’ vice presidential debate proposal.