Joe Biden and Donald Trump agreed on Wednesday to hold a first presidential debate in June after the Democratic incumbent challenged his rival to “make my day” and the scandal-plagued Republican quickly responded that he was ready to “rumble.”
CNN announced that it will hold the first debate on June 27 in Atlanta, Georgia. Biden proposed a second debate on September 10, and Trump accepted.
Biden, 81, had set out his own terms for the debates with political showman Trump, such as time limits for speakers and having no live audience – a condition CNN said it had agreed to.
In his first formal debate offer after months of stalling, the Democrat also shunned the traditional calendar proposed by the commission that has run debates since 1988 as he sought to exercise control over the format.
Trump, 77, accepted the dates even as he set out a starkly different vision with a larger venue for “excitement purposes” and accused the Democrat of being afraid of crowds.
Biden also trolled Trump over his ongoing criminal hush money trial in New York, which features a mid-week break, adding, “So let’s pick the dates, Donald. I hear you’re free on Wednesdays.”
CNN said in a statement that the debate would be held at its studios in Atlanta in the “crucial battleground state of Georgia.”
‘Will you shut up?’
For his part, Trump previously said that he would debate his rival “anytime, anywhere” as he seeks to portray Biden as old and incapable of leadership.
He described Biden as the “WORST debater I have ever faced” and added, “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds.”
The 2020 debates between the two candidates famously featured Biden saying “Will you shut up, man?” when Trump repeatedly talked over him.
Danny Kemp with AFP
