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Primary elections on Super Tuesday (March 5) all but secured the likely rematch of the 2020 presidential election that will see voters choose between Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the next president.
With two main candidates left, one of the big questions that remain is if both will agree to presidential debates.
What Happened: Trump notably skipped the Republican primary debates during the 2024 election cycle, which left his opponents debating amongst themselves.
The former president often ran counterprogramming, including televised interviews and speeches that ran opposite the Republican debates.
While Trump wasn't ready to debate his Republican counterparts and said his strong ratings in the polls determined he didn't need to, the former president is ready to debate Biden publicly.
"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," Trump said on his Truth Social account Wednesday. "Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD)."
Trump said he looks forward to receiving a response.
Biden has not publicly responded to the debate invite.
"I know Donald Trump's thirsty for attention and struggling to expand his appeal beyond the MAGA base — and that's a conversation we'll have at the appropriate time in this cycle," Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said, as shared by the New York Post.
Controversy over moderators and rules for presidential debates surrounded the 2020 election cycle with the Republican National Committee (RNC) and CPD sparring. The RNC later moved to withdraw from the organization.
There are currently three scheduled debates for the 2024 presidential election, with no confirmed participation from Trump or Biden. Third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could also qualify based on current rules of needing 15% in polls. Kennedy Jr. is tracking at around 16.7% in RealClearPolitics aggregate poll scoring.
The debates scheduled are:
Sept. 16, Texas
Oct. 1, Virginia
Oct. 9, Utah
A vice presidential debate is also scheduled for Sept. 25 in Pennsylvania.
Related Link: Biden Vs. Trump: President Retakes Lead In 2024 Election Poll For First Time Since January
Why It's Important: Trump skipping the Republican primary debates led to lower viewership than the 2020 Republican debates got, when Trump participated.
First Debate: 12.8 million viewers, aired on Fox News, a unit of Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX)(NASDAQ:FOXA).
Second Debate: 9.5 million viewers, aired on Fox Business
Third Debate: 7.5 million viewers, aired on NBC News, a unit of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)
Fourth Debate: 4.1 million viewers, aired on NewsNation, a unit of Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST)
Fifth Debate: 2.6 million viewers, aired on CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD)
Compare those figures with the 2020 presidential election two debates, which saw huge viewership when Trump and Biden faced off against each other on stage.
The first presidential debate in September 2020 had 73 million viewers. The figure was down 13% from the 2016 first presidential debate, featuring Trump and Hillary Clinton. The debate was the third most watched presidential debate of all time, trailing only the 2016 debate and the 1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.
Fox News led the way of all networks and cable channels that aired the first debate with 17.8 million viewers, one of its largest programs ever. ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS), was second with 12.6 million viewers.
The final presidential debate in October 2020, originally planned as the third debate, was watched by 63 million people with 15 networks covering the event. Fox News again ranked first with 14.7 million viewers. ABC and NBC each had more than 10 million viewers tune in, followed by CNN at 7.2 million.
A second presidential debate was canceled due to Trump getting COVID-19. Two debates for the 2024 presidential election was the fewest since the 1996 election.
The vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris was watched by 57.9 million people.
Biden and Trump also were featured on Town Halls on several broadcast channels.
Based on the 2020 election, Fox could benefit the most from three presidential debates in 2024 if Trump and Biden agree to participate. Other networks could also benefit as they cover the debates and can sell advertisements during the widely watched television events.
Image: Shutterstock
