Washington — President Biden intends to debate former President Donald Trump in the run-up to the November presidential election and is willing to face off against his Republican opponent in the race for the White House twice, his campaign said in a letter Wednesday that laid out its other terms for debates this election season.
In addition to specifying Mr. Biden’s plans for debating Trump, the letter from Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the president’s reelection campaign, states that he will not participate in debates sponsored by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has overseen presidential debates since 1988.
Instead, Mr. Biden plans to take part in debates hosted by news organizations, O’Malley Dillon said. She cited what she said was the commission’s unwillingness to enforce rules for candidates during the 2020 debates and the large audiences in attendance that disrupt the face-offs. During the 2020 presidential campaign, the first debate between Trump and Mr. Biden descended into chaos as Trump repeatedly interrupted and spoke over Mr. Biden and moderators struggled to regain control of the event.
Mr. Biden clinched the Democratic presidential nomination and Trump the Republican nomination in mid-March, setting up a rematch of the 2020 contest for the White House.
This is a developing story
