Former President Trump, who skipped out on the GOP primary debates, is calling on President Biden to face him on stage as the two gear up of for a rematch in November.
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People. Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!” Trump wrote Wednesday evening on Truth Social.
“The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). I look forward to receiving a response,” he added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
His urgency comes after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) announced she would suspend her White House bid following decisive losses to Trump in the early primary and Super Tuesday contests.
Trump declined to participate in any of the Republican primary debates, even as the field shrunk to just two candidates. He repeatedly pointed to polls showing him with a commanding lead over the pool of candidates as a reason why he should not take the stage against his GOP rivals.
The former president said during a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt in December that he looks forward to debating Biden and suggested 10 debates. Trump also said last month that he would debate Biden as many times as necessary, because there’s an “obligation” for the two party front-runners to do so.
When asked about those comments last month, Biden told reporters, “If I were him, I would want to debate me, too.”
“He’s got nothing else to do,” the president said at the time.
The Biden campaign dismissed Trump’s call for debates as a way to seek attention.
“I know Donald Trump’s thirsty for attention and struggling to expand his appeal beyond the MAGA base — and that’s a conversation we’ll have at the appropriate time in this cycle,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement to The Hill. “But if he’s so desperate to see President Biden in prime time, he doesn’t have to wait!”
“He can join the tens of millions of Americans who will tune in to watch the State of the Union tomorrow night,” the statement added. “He might even learn a thing or two about bringing people together and actually delivering for the American people.”