Trump Team Calls For More Debates With Biden, ‘Much Earlier’ Than Currently Planned

Former President Donald Trump wants to face off with President Joe Biden on the debate stage “much earlier,” and more times than currently planned, his campaign said Thursday.

In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which sponsors and produces the events, Trump’s co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita argued the current schedule is not good enough, noting that one million Americans will have already cast their ballots by the time of the first debate scheduled to take place on Sept. 16.

“Americans were robbed of a true and robust debate in 2020,” they wrote. “There were only two debates, and they happened much too late in the election calendar despite voting timelines having moved up exponentially.”

The commission has proposed a total of three debates this cycle between Trump and Biden with the final two set to take place on Oct. 1 and Oct. 9 respectively.

However, Trump’s team wants more, citing the example of the 1858 U.S. Senate battle in Illinois, where former President Abraham Lincoln and former Sen. Stephen A. Douglas debated each other seven times.

“The Commission must move up the timetable of its proposed 2024 debates to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting, and we would argue for adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule,” Wiles and LaCivita said.

“We have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere — and the time to start these debates is now,” they added.

Ironically, though, Trump refused to take part in any of the debates scheduled by the Republican National Committee ahead of the GOP’s presidential primary contests, claiming he saw no point in sharing the