Biden agrees to debate Trump after months of evasion
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Joe Biden said he is ready to debate Donald Trump after months of evading questions over whether he would face off his Republican opponent on stage.
The US president gave a rare live interview to the radio host Howard Stern in Manhattan on Friday, just a few miles from the courthouse where his predecessor was listening to testimony in his hush money trial.
Asked by Stern whether he would agree to a much-anticipated debate against Mr Trump, the president replied: “I am, somewhere, I don’t know when but I am happy to debate him.”
It represents a striking shift in the Biden campaign’s approach after months of ducking the question.
Mr Biden has previously suggested his willingness to consent to a debate would depend on Mr Trump’s “behaviour”.
The two presidential candidates’ debates in 2020 were frequently chaotic, with Mr Biden erupting in anger over Mr Trump’s frequent interruptions and attempts to speak over him.
For months, Mr Trump, 77, has sought to goad Mr Biden, 81, into agreeing to a debate during their 2024 White House re-match.
Mr Trump, who declined to debate his 2024 Republican primary rivals, has attacked the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates which schedules the official debates.
The Trump campaign criticised the commission for cutting off Mr Trump’s microphone - a policy it enforced after his chaotic first 2020 debate with Mr Trump, and accused them of using biassed moderators.
Mr Trump said he is willing to go head-to-head with Mr Biden “anytime, anyplace and anywhere”.
His advisers have called for more presidential debates, and for them to begin “much earlier” than the commission’s scheduled events.
The first debate is currently scheduled for Sept 16, the second for Oct 1 and the third for Oct 9.
Some members of Mr Biden’s campaign have also voiced criticism of the presidential debate system.
This month, a group of major news outlets took the rare step of penning an open letter urging both the Biden and Trump campaigns to commit to participating in the debates.
Mr Biden’s declaration to Stern on Friday comes as his campaign appears to be trialling a new strategy following intense criticism of their strategy of keeping the 81-year-old at arm’s length from the media.
On Thursday, the New York Times issued a scathing statement about Mr Biden’s refusal to do a one-to-one interview with a major US outlet.
The newspaper called it “troubling” that Mr Biden “has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term”, calling it a “dangerous precedent”.
“Systematically avoiding interviews and questions from major news organizations doesn’t just undermine an important norm, it also establishes a dangerous precedent that future presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability,” it said.
The president’s surprise appearance on the popular Howard Stern Show opened with the radio host gushing about being a longtime admirer of Mr Biden.
“I think I should leave now,” Mr Biden joked in response.
“I know everyone’s going to think I’m doing a fake interview with you, but you are really here,” Stern said.
