President Biden's declaration that he would be “happy” to debate Donald J. Trump means voters will have at least a chance to see the two major party candidates answer questions side by side. In addition to satisfying some viewers' interest in whether older candidates show mental lapses, the debates offer an opportunity for voters to compare candidates' temperaments and detect differences on certain issues. This is especially useful for those who don't follow presidential campaigns closely.
That said, Biden could have legitimately refused to debate Trump on the grounds that his likely opponent is not a normal candidate but a deranged former president who attempted to overturn an election he lost, a scandalous campaign that culminated in the January 6 attack on the presidency . United States Capitol by his followers. Commenting on Trump's absence from debates during the Republican primary campaign, the editorial board wrote: “No one who has attempted to overturn the will of the voters deserves to be on a debate stage again.”
But now that Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee – an indelible stain on the party that has normalized him – it is impossible to have a meaningful debate without him. By participating, Biden has the opportunity to outline how he differs from his predecessor on everything from abortion rights to the economy and foreign policy. Trump will also be able to question Biden about his record.
The question is whether Trump will sabotage the civic purpose of the presidential debates, as he did when he went crazy in his first debate with Biden in 2020, incessantly interrupting his opponent and spewing vitriol.
Ideally, the moderator of any 2024 presidential debate would have the steely strength of Juan M. Merchán, the judge presiding over Trump's criminal trial in New York City. Debate moderators cannot hold candidates in contempt of court, impose fines, or physically eject misbehaving candidates, but they are not without authority to keep participants on track. For example, they can decisively deal with candidates who bluster, bully, ignore time limits, and engage in name-calling by turning off their microphones.
Nor should Trump be allowed to wander endlessly into irrelevancies (nor should Biden) or wander around the stage to stalk his rival, as he did during a 2016 presidential debate with Hillary Clinton. Keeping candidates on topic will be easier if debates are divided into topic areas. We say “debates” in the plural because multiple meetings at least potentially broaden the ground that candidates can cover, as well as ensure that they won't be devastated by one bad night.
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has announced dates for three presidential debates (September 16, October 1 and October 9) and one between the vice presidential candidates on September 25 (Trump's campaign has complained that the commission has not scheduled The debates will be held soon enough to accommodate early voters. In California, ballots will be mailed by October 7 and ballot drop-off locations will open on October 8. But the commission said. on Wednesday that its schedule was based on factors including “religious and federal holidays, early voting and the dates on which individual states close their voting”). Ideally, all three debates would go ahead, but Biden should feel free to reconsider if Trump doesn't follow the debate rules.
In an open letter calling for a debate between Trump and Biden, a group of news organizations (not including the Los Angeles Times) wrote: “If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that what at stake in this election are exceptionally high. Amid that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for candidates debating among themselves and before the American people their visions for the future of our nation.”
However, for debates to fulfill that function, rules of civility and common decency must exist, and candidates must respect them.
