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.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 26
Stalker bodybuilder, 32, is branded a monster by his girlfriend after he smashed up her house
Suárez runs shutout streak to 25 innings as Phillies blank Reds 7
Kennedy family endorses Biden in effort to deflate RFK Jr.'s candidacy
Mystery artist who erected signs comparing pothole
People enjoy outdoor activities as spring flowers bloom across China
Brewers' Jakob Junis hit in neck by line drive in batting practice, taken to hospital
As Blinken heads to China, these are the major divides he will try to bridge
Burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police from the top of 60ft high roof during nine
Vista Outdoor, Salesforce rise; Tesla, Cardinal Health fall, Monday, 4/22/2024
Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership
DR MAX PEMBERTON: I've seen the real impact infidelity has on children, and it breaks my heart