A group of major news organizations — including The Associated Press and the five major broadcast and cable networks — issued an unusual joint statement on Sunday urging President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump to commit to participating in televised debates before Election Day.
“General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy,” the group wrote. “There is no substitute for candidates debating with each other, and in front of the American people, their visions for the future of our country.”
Media organizations rarely weigh in outright on the campaign plans of presidential candidates. The statement underscores how much uncertainty there is over whether the debates will take place this year.
Mr. Biden declined to commit to three debates scheduled for September and October. His allies have expressed concerns about the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan group that has organized the events since 1988, and its ability to enforce its rules when Mr. Trump.
Mr. promised Trump who will debate and regularly mocks Mr. Biden for not following it. But in 2020, Mr. Trump forced the cancellation of the second scheduled debate by backing out at the last minute. Last year, Mr. Trump refused to debate his primary Republican opponents, and he accused the debate commission of pro-Biden bias.
If no debate is held in 2024, it would break a streak dating back to the Jimmy Carter-Gerald R. Ford election in 1976. Presidential debates remain the largest mass gatherings in America outside of sports: In 2020, an average of 68 million people tuned in for the two Biden-Trump debates, more than watched the party’s nominating conventions.
The news outlets’ plans to issue a joint statement were reported by The New York Times last week.
In addition to ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News, the following news organizations also endorsed the statement: The Associated Press, C-SPAN, NewsNation, NPR, PBS NewsHour, USA Today and Noticias Univision, the news division of Spanish – language network.
(A spokesperson for Newsmax volunteered to The Times last week that the right-leaning news channel agrees with the statement, although it is not an official signature.)
The statement noted that the dates and eligibility requirements for this year’s matchups are previously announced through the debate commission.
“While it is too early for invitations to be extended to any candidate, it is not too early for candidates hoping to meet the eligibility criteria to publicly express their support for, and their intention to participate in , commission debates planned for this fall,” the statement said.
