Former President Donald Trump’s campaign wrote a letter Thursday to the Commission on Presidential Debates urging the panel to move up the dates of the general election debates.
“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 campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in the letter.
They argued that since voting begins earlier in elections now, the commission “must move up the timetable of its proposed 2024 debates to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting” and potentially add more debates in addition to those already scheduled.
“We have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere – and the time to start these debates is now,” they said.
The first presidential debate is slated to take place on Sept. 16, just 50 days before Election Day and after some states will already have started early voting. The third one is scheduled for Oct. 9, just 35 days before the election.
Mr. Biden hasn’t committed to debating Mr. Trump, saying in March it “depends on his behavior.”
Mr. Trump’s eagerness to debate Mr. Biden comes in contrast to his refusal to participate in any of the debates for the Republican presidential nomination.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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