PHOENIX (AP) — The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has planned presidential faceoffs in every election since 1988, has an uncertain future after President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump struck an agreement to meet on their own.
The Biden and Trump campaigns announced a deal Wednesday to meet for debates in June on CNN and September on ABC. Just a day earlier, Frank Fahrenkopf, chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, had sounded optimistic that the candidates would eventually come around to accepting the commission’s debates.
“There’s no way you can force anyone to debate,” Fahrenkopf said in a virtual meeting of supporters of No Labels, which has continued as an advocacy group after it abandoned plans for a third-party presidential ticket. But he noted candidates have repeatedly toyed with skipping debates or finding alternatives before eventually showing up, though one was canceled in 2020 when Trump refused to appear virtually after he contracted COVID-19.
Medics remove 150 MAGGOTS from a woman's mouth after dental procedure left her with rotting tissue
Xi Story: Small Projects for Greater Prosperity
China Energy's massive hydropower station to open in March 2024
Online mini dramas making major headway
Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
IT helps legislators perform tasks better
Industrial upgrades crucial to propelling growth
Online literature industry continues to grow
'Constantly learning' Imanaga off to impressive start with the Chicago Cubs
Chinese researchers prove presence of ocean on Mars
‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
China's space telescopes precisely measure brightest gamma