Uh, oh. It looks as if Donald Trump may be another no-show for the upcoming presidential debate on Thursday, October 22, at Belmont University in Nashville. He skipped out on his second debate after his worse than dismal performance in the first debate against his opponent Joe Biden. Normally, candidates are eager to have a second debate to make up for earlier mistakes. Now, he is causing trouble again.
For this last presidential debate, the Trump campaign came up with demands on the Commission on Presidential Debates. He wanted to focus more on foreign policy, according to News Channel 5.
Monday the Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien wrote to the commission ranting about the subjects’ moderator and NBC News Correspondent Kristen Welker had announced. Stepien said the commission should honor the “long-standing custom” and make foreign policy the focus. He claimed that Trump only agreed to the third debate when he was under the assumption that foreign policy would be the subject matter.
CNN‘s Chris Cillizza wrote:
‘There is literally nothing that I can’t fathom Trump trying between now and November 3 in order to win — or to make people believe that everything was rigged against him. And Trump’s campaign has already attacked the Commission, which is chaired by former Republican National Committee Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf, as “swamp monsters” and partisan, anti-Trump[ers].”‘
The Trump campaign manager wrote:
‘Our letter to the BDC (Biden Debate Commission)’
Stepien continued:
‘As is the long-standing custom, and as has been promised by the Commission on Presidential Debates, we had expected that foreign policy would be the central focus of the October 22 debate. We urge you to recalibrate the topics and return to subjects which had already been confirmed.’
Then, Stepien claimed Joe Biden was being “desperate to avoid conversations about his own foreign policy record.” He further accused the commission of trying to change the subject to “insulate Biden from his own history:”
‘The Commission’s pro-Biden antics have turned the entire debate season into a fiasco and it is little wonder why the public has lost faith in its objectivity.’
Biden’s campaign disagreed. It indicated that the arrangement was that the moderator was responsible for choosing the topic. This rule was announced just before the first debate started. Furthermore, Biden’s campaign said Trump was lying in order to avoid questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Press Secretary TJ Ducklo said:
‘The campaigns and the Commission agreed months ago that the debate moderator would choose the topics. The Trump campaign is lying about that now because Donald Trump is afraid to face more questions about his disastrous COVID response. As usual, the president is more concerned with the rules of a debate than he is getting a nation in crisis the help it needs.’
Stepien’s letter comes days after Welker announced the debate topics were, according to CBS News:
- ‘Fighting COVID-19
- American families
- Race in America
- Climate change
- National security
- Leadership
Trump’s campaign has been complaining that the Commission on Presidential Debates, was trying to help Joe Biden win the debates. However, it is a nonpartisan panel. During the first debate, the president dominated the stage with nonstop talking over and interrupting Biden. Fox News’ Chris Wallace lost control of the room.
Trump pulled out of the October 15 scheduled debate. The commission wanted a virtual debate, due to the pandemic. Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus, so this was to protect the former vice president. There was still some question as to whether he was sick during the first debate.
The president has already been attacking Welker and crying unfair. He called her a “radical Democrat” during his Arizona campaign and also said she would be “no good.”
Twitter world went nuts after Trump talked about bailing. Check out some of our favorite responses:
— Alex Walker 🏳️🌈😷 (@AlexQWalker) October 19, 2020
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