Biden says he’s ‘happy’ to debate Trump

President Biden indicated Friday that he’s willing to debate former President Trump ahead of November’s election.

“I am, somewhere. I don’t know when, but I am happy to debate him,” Biden told Howard Stern on his radio show when asked about the prospect.

Stern suggested to Biden that if he were standing on a stage next to Trump, he would say to the audience, “Find me 11,000 votes so I can win the election,” a reference to a phone call Trump made to Georgia’s secretary of state after losing the 2020 election.

“What are we debating?” Stern asked rhetorically, adding that he was astonished so many Americans still supported the former president.

Biden joined Stern, the nationally recognized shock jock, for a live interview Friday in his New York City studio.

Trump responded to Biden’s comments in a post later Friday on Truth Social.

“Crooked Joe Biden just announced that he’s willing to debate! Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters,” Trump said.

Biden and his campaign have largely avoided directly addressing the prospect of debates with Trump, even as the former president has insisted he will debate Biden as many times as possible before November’s election.

There are three presidential debates scheduled for the 2024 cycle, beginning in September, as well as one vice presidential debate scheduled.

Trump has for weeks pledged to debate Biden “any time, any place,” despite his refusal to participate in the GOP primary debates and his past hostility toward the Commission on Presidential Debates.

The former president has frequently railed against the commission, pointing to a technical issue with his microphone during a 2016 debate, complaining about moderators and blasting a decision to cancel a debate with Biden in 2020 after Trump tested positive for COVID-19 and refused to participate virtually.

Trump’s campaign earlier this month urged the commission to move up the timeline for planned debates to increase the number of faceoffs the two candidates have before Election Day, citing the start of early voting in many states.

Updated at 1:52 p.m. EDT