President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump have agreed to participate in two debates, with the first one scheduled for June 27. While there are still details to be finalized, it has been confirmed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is upset about being excluded from the debates.
The White House has revealed that President Biden set favorable terms for the debates, which President Trump has accepted. As of now, the debates will not have live audiences. Trump has requested that the debates last for two hours and that the candidates stand at podiums rather than sit down.
By bypassing the Commission on Presidential Debates, both major parties have left RFK Jr. feeling marginalized. He has accused Biden and Trump of colluding against him and avoiding discussions on issues such as deficits, wars, lockdowns, chronic diseases, and inflation.
The Biden team is adamant about cutting off microphones to prevent interruptions during the debates. They have clarified that this decision is not influenced by recent polling results.
It appears that both Biden and Trump are eager to engage in debates to shift the focus from negative polling outcomes. Trump had initially challenged Biden to a debate at any time and place, leading to the current agreement for at least one debate before the Republican nomination convention.
There is speculation about whether the debates will be broadcast on all networks. The ABC debate scheduled for the fall is expected to be available for simulcast.
As the debate preparations progress, it will be interesting to see how the candidates present their arguments and engage with each other on critical issues.