According to a New York Times report, major media networks including ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News are endorsing a letter urging President Joe Biden and Donald Trump to hold televised debates prior to Election Day.
“We, the undersigned national news organizations, urge the presumptive presidential nominees to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November’s election,” the letter reads, according to a draft version obtained by The New York Times.
The letter is not yet finalized.
“General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years dating to 1976,” the draft letter reads. “In each of those elections, tens of millions have tuned in to watch the candidates debating side by side, in a competition of ideas, for the votes of American citizens.”
“If there is one thing Americans can agree on, during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” the letter continues. “There is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of the nation.”
Trump has been very vocal that he’s up for a debate, posting the following on TRUTH Social last month:
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,” he wrote. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!”
More over at The New York Times:
In an unusual move, the five major broadcast and cable news networks — ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News — have prepared a joint open letter that urges President Biden and Donald Trump to participate in televised debates. https://t.co/51NilP3psS
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 9, 2024
