The Commission on Presidential Debates shot back at Donald Trump’s requests to hold more 2024 debates on Wednesday, standing firm on its schedule despite repeated counters from the 45th president’s campaign calling the dates “unacceptable.”
“As it always does, the CPD considered multiple factors in selecting debate dates in order to make them accessible by the American public. These factors include religious and federal holidays, early voting, and the dates on which individual states close their ballots,” the CPD said in a statement Wednesday, stating that their first debate will still be held Sept. 16.
The commission added that they are abiding by their selection criteria, which requires any debate participant to “have an arithmetic chance of winning the Electoral College” and that “three states do not close their ballots for independent candidates until September 6.”
The CPD and the Trump campaign have been dueling over when the commission should hold its first 2024 debate.
Top Trump advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita had sent a letter April 11 requesting earlier forums to account for early voters, but had heard “crickets” up until Tuesday, when the debate organizers told Fox News the debates would continue as scheduled, RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told The Post.
After the commission’s Tuesday admission that its not moving its schedule, Wiles and LaCivita doubled down on their criticisms of the CPD’s schedule of presidential debates, which is slated for Sept. 16 in San Marcos, Texas, Oct. 1 in Petersburg, Va. and Oct. 9 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The advisers threatened to hold a debate without the CPD, given that Trump has said he wants to debate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace” and President Biden has also finally said he would face off with Trump.
“The Presidential Debate Commission’s schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots. This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins. President Trump has stated he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and Joe Biden himself just agreed to debate,” Wiles and LaCivita said Tuesday.
The CPD took issue with the claim that the schedule “does not begin until after ‘millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots.’”
“The CPD purposefully chose September 16 after a comprehensive study of early voting rules in every state,” they said in their Wednesday retort, arguing that only North Carolina and Pennsylvania voters have the chance to vote early before the first scheduled debate.
Wiles and LaCivita sent out another attack Wednesday afternoon after the CPD’s latest statement.
“The Commission on Presidential Debates admits in their own statement that their proposed debate schedule begins AFTER early voting. Again, this is unacceptable. The American people deserve to hear from the candidates BEFORE millions of ballots are mailed and cast,” the commission.
“We must host debates earlier than ever before. Again, we call on every television network in America that wishes to host a debate to extend an invitation to our campaign and we will gladly negotiate with the Biden campaign, with or without the stubborn Presidential Debates Commission.”
