Trump Accepts Biden's Presidential Debate Challenge

Facts

• Former Pres. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Wednesday accepted the proposal of Pres. Joe Biden to debate in June and September. Trump called Biden 'the WORST debater I have ever faced.'¹
• Trump posted on Truth Social he is 'ready and willing to Debate Crooked Joe,' and he'd want more than the two rounds Biden has proposed.²
• Hours earlier, Biden endorsed a CNN proposal to skip the traditional three autumn debates organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.³
• Biden challenged Trump to choose the dates, noting that Trump's Wednesdays seem open, reportedly a reference to the latter's court commitments.⁴
• The Biden-Harris campaign has proposed that the first debate occur in late June post-Trump's trial and Biden's G-7 Summit visit, with a second one in September.⁵
• Earlier, the commission had set three debates starting in mid-September, with the Trump campaign urging it to increase the number and schedule them earlier.¹

Sources: ¹thehill.com, ²NBC, ³Washington Post, ⁴CNN and ⁵FOX News.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. Biden has finally agreed to debate Trump, but he's insisting on absurd and unreasonable guardrails — no audience, no third-party candidates, time limits — and Democrat-friendly networks. Even on Biden's terms, Trump will prevail and show the US electorate why he should return to the White House.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Raw Story. Trump is going to get steamrolled, especially with the rules Biden is insisting on. Trump won't be able to function without an audience to cheer him on or with time limits keeping him from interrupting. Of course, it remains to be seen if he'll show up after dodging so many debates in 2020 and during the 2024 primary race.

Predictions