President Joe Biden’s campaign has requested a ban on audiences during the proposed presidential debates with former President Donald Trump. The reasoning behind this demand appears to be linked to concerns about potential Biden protestors disrupting the event, as anti-Israel protestors have been known to appear at Biden’s public events.
In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Biden campaign stated that they would not participate in commission debates, but would only engage in network debates. The Trump campaign has not yet agreed to Biden’s proposal.
The Biden campaign emphasized that large audiences at debates are not necessary or beneficial, as they can lead to distractions and disruptions from partisans and donors. Instead, they suggested a format similar to the original televised debates in 1960, with just the candidates and moderators present.
Biden has proposed two debates in June and September, with the first one scheduled for June 27 moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain will assist Biden with debate preparation.
Klain has expressed the need for rules to be enforced during the debates to prevent a repeat of the chaotic and uncontrolled discussions that occurred in 2016 and 2020. He believes that with Trump on the stage, maintaining order and fairness will be crucial.
