Trump Campaign Seeks More and Earlier Debates

In June the Trump campaign made a push for four debates. In the exchange of letters from August (below), former Mayor Rudy Giuliani makes the case for the Trump campaign. The Commission on Presidential Debates seems unmoved.

See:
Maggie Haberman. "Trump Campaign Pushing for Four Debates With Biden."  New York Times, June 18, 2020.

Josh Dawsey and Dan Balz.  "Trump campaign makes pitch for fourth debate with Biden amid declining poll numbers."  Washington Post, June 18, 2020.

Alex Isenstadt.  "Trump mounts campaign for more debates against Biden."  Politico, June 18, 2020.

Matt Viser.  "Biden campaign confirms he will attend three debates with Trump,criticizes the president for flipping on his debate stance."  Washington Post, June 22, 2020.

---

Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Letter [PDF]
August 5, 2020

The Commission on Presidential Debates
Attn: Co-Chairs Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr., Dorothy S. Ridings, Kenneth Wollack;
Executive Director Janet H. Brown
P.O. Box 58247
Washington, D.C. 20037

Rudolph W. Giuliani
Former Mayor, New York
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
1300 N. 17th St. 14th Floor
Arlington, VA 22209

Dear Members of the Commission:

Now that former Vice President Joe Biden has finally announced he will be joining President Donald J. Trump for the Commission’s scheduled general election debates, our campaign again requests the Commission modernize its line-up to include an additional, earlier debate in September, bringing the total number of presidential debates to four.

If the Commission refuses to add a fourth presidential debate to the three agreed-upon debates, we strongly urge the Commission to move up the final debate (currently scheduled for October 22, 2020) to instead happen during the first week in September.

Here’s why:

By the time of the first presidential debate on September 29, 2020, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, as many as eight million Americans in 16 states will have already started voting.

By the time of the vice presidential debate on October 7, 2020, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, as many as 20 million Americans in 24 states will have already started voting.

By the time of the second presidential debate on October 15, 2020, at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida, as many as 35 million Americans in 29 states will have already started voting.

And by the time of the third and final presidential debate on October 22, 2020, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, as many as 49 million Americans in 34 states will have already started voting.

Simply put, the Commission’s current approach is an outdated dinosaur and not reflective of voting realities in 2020.

For a nation already deprived of a traditional campaign schedule because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it makes no sense to also deprive so many Americans of the opportunity to see and hear the two competing visions for our country’s future before millions of votes have been cast.

The solution is easy: add an additional debate in early September before the first ballots are sent out in North Carolina on September 4, 2020, or, move up the final debate currently scheduled for October 22, 2020 into the first week in September.

Certainly former Vice President Biden would agree with the need to avoid having millions of Americans disenfranchised by not being able to see and hear the two major party candidates debate before they have ballots in-hand, and our suggestions for location and moderators shows a spirit of cooperation the Commission should be able to agree to.

Additionally, now that former Vice President Biden has finally confirmed he is indeed available to leave his basement for the fall debates, we are also requesting the Commission solidify its backup plans for debate locations and logistics in the event additional COVID-19 complications arise at any of the locations. A simple studio format with no audience should be established as an emergency back-up plan for all currently scheduled presidential and vice presidential debates, and this should be done soon.

Finally, we would like to suggest the following journalist names for consideration as moderators, and we would appreciate your prompt reply on this matter.

Bret Baier
Gerry Baker
Maria Bartiromo
Shannon Bream
David Brody
Kevin Cirilli
Larry Elder
Saagar Enjeti
Harris Faulkner
Major Garrett
Michael Goodwin
Joe Kernen
Hoda Kotb
Susan Li
Bill Hemmer
Hugh Hewitt
Tom Llamas
Dagen McDowell
David Muir
Norah O’Donnell
Charles Payne
Rick Santelli

Sincerely,

Rudolph W. Giuliani
Former Mayor, New York

---

Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Letter [PDF]
August 6, 2020

The Commission on Presidential Debates
Attn: Co-Chairs Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr., Dorothy S. Ridings, Kenneth Wollack;
Executive Director Janet H. Brown
P.O. Box 58247 Washington, D.C. 20037

Rudolph W. Giuliani
Former Mayor, New York
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
1300 N. 17th St. 14th Floor Arlington, VA 22209

Dear Members of the Commission:

Thank you for your swift reply to our letter of August 5, 2020.

We are disappointed in your response, but appreciate your openness to a fourth, or earlier, debate “[i]f the candidates were to agree that they wished to add to that schedule[.]” Your reply makes it clear that the idea of an earlier debate is, in effect, locked away in the basement, alone and diminished. We continue to believe that the American people deserve to see their candidates for president compare their records and visions for the United States before actual voting begins.

We strongly disagree with your assessment of early voting in the upcoming election. In 2016, 41 percent of all votes were cast before Election Day and that figure is certain to rise in 2020. Countless hours of television news coverage and miles of newspaper columns have been devoted to the effect of the coronavirus on voting, with the news media openly advocating for universal mail-in balloting prior to Election Day. Our concerns remain the same: Americans will have already started voting in 16 states well in advance of the first scheduled debate on September 29.

The Commission’s current debate schedule remains outdated and fails to adapt to the election calendar of today. In 1980, only 5 percent of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with that figure certain to be over 50 percent in 2020. But even in 1980, the debate schedule began earlier, with the first debate held on September 21, as compared to this year’s first event on September 29. The old, tired answer of “we’ve always done it this way,” simply will not suffice in this extraordinary year.

It also seems to us that adding a debate or moving one to an earlier time should not present any logistical challenges you have not already encountered. Indeed, the University of Notre Dame withdrew as the host of a 2020 debate and was promptly replaced by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. Finding an additional host and location was evidently possible once and should be again.

We are likewise not persuaded by your assurance that the Commission is “ready for any contingency that is necessary as a result of the pandemic.” Since your current refusal to consider an additional debate or an earlier date is based on Mr. Biden’s unwillingness to agree, it would be logical to assume that any further changes to debate arrangements would hinge on his opinion. We must insist on a commitment that the two candidates will definitely appear on stage, in person – whether in a television studio without an audience or elsewhere – and not through separate, online transmissions where Mr. Biden could rely on notes, teleprompter, or handlers.

While we do understand that Mr. Biden has been sequestered in his basement in Wilmington, Delaware for some time, President Trump still believes that the American people deserve to see the candidates for president side by side at some point. The President has committed to and will participate in the three debates already on the schedule and we hold out hope that Mr. Biden will eventually realize that it is a disservice to the American people to try to hide for as long as possible. We aim to continue to put public pressure on Mr. Biden to agree that Americans must see an in-person comparison of the records, visions, and vitality of the two candidates for president before voting begins.

Sincerely,

Rudolph W. Giuliani
Former Mayor, New York
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.

Debate commission leaves door open to revised debate schedule if Biden agrees

In a reply to President Trump’s re-election campaign Thursday, the Commission on Presidential Debates left the door open to a revised debate schedule if Joe Biden agrees to a fourth debate or one moved to an earlier date before voters begin casting ballots.  The Trump campaign has agreed to the three existing debates, but has argued that one should be added or rescheduled to prior to September 4, 2020, when the first ballots will be in the hands of voters in North Carolina. Millions of voters will be able to vote long before the first debate on the current schedule on September 29, 2020.

The Trump campaign responded to the Commission in a letter on Thursday.

“We are disappointed in your response, but appreciate your openness to a fourth, or earlier, debate ‘[i]f the candidates were to agree that they wished to add to that schedule[,]'" wrote Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York and representative of the Trump campaign. “Your reply makes it clear that the idea of an earlier debate is, in effect, locked away in the basement, alone and diminished. We continue to believe that the American people deserve to see their candidates for president compare their records and visions for the United States before actual voting begins.”

The Trump campaign reiterated its view that an earlier debate is essential to Americans as they make their decisions in the election, particularly given the attention to early voting during the coronavirus crisis.  The campaign noted that millions of Americans will be able to vote in 16 states prior to the first debate on the current schedule.

“The Commission’s current debate schedule remains outdated and fails to adapt to the election calendar of today,” the letter reads. “In 1980, only 5 percent of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with that figure certain to be over 50 percent in 2020.  But even in 1980, the debate schedule began earlier, with the first debate held on September 21, as compared to this year’s first event on September 29. The old, tired answer of ‘we’ve always done it this way’ simply will not suffice in this extraordinary year.”

The Trump campaign asked for firm assurance that Biden would appear on stage with President Trump, even if there were no live audience in attendance.

“We must insist on a commitment that the two candidates will definitely appear on stage, in person – whether in a television studio without an audience or elsewhere – and not through separate, online transmissions where Mr. Biden could rely on notes, teleprompter, or handlers,” the letter reads.

Read the Trump campaign’s full letter here.