Donald Trump accepts Joe Biden's debate challenge ahead of US elections

Republican opponent Donald Trump quickly accepted US President Joe Biden’s request to “make my day” on Wednesday by agreeing to participate in two televised debates in June and September.

Instead, Biden chose two audience-free debates presented by journalistic organizations over the three debates recommended by the bipartisan US Election Debates Commission.

“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal,” Biden said in a video on X.

“I’ll even do it twice.”

Adding, “So let’s pick the dates Donald,” Biden made fun of Trump’s ongoing criminal hush money trial in New York, which includes a midweek respite. I’ve heard Wednesdays are your free day."

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Debates are a customary component of every US presidential election campaign, and the Democrats and Republicans have been squabbling over them for months. However, there has been some doubt as to whether or not they will take place.

Trump declared that he was “ready to Rumble!!!” after avoiding any debates with his opponents for the Republican presidential race this year.

“I am Ready and Willing to debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” Trump said on his TruthSocial platform.

Describing Biden as “the WORST debater I have ever faced,” Trump called for a “very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds.”

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In a letter delivered concurrently, Biden’s team informed the US Election Debates Commission that its schedule for three debates in September and October was rejected.

In contrast, Biden “plans to participate in debates hosted by news organizations,” according to Jen O’Malley Dillon, the campaign chief’s letter.

The decades-old system in place, she continued, is “out of step with changes in the structure of our elections and the interests of voters.”

The first one-on-one debate was scheduled for late June, “after President Biden returns from meeting with world leaders at the G7 Summit and after Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial is likely to be over,” according to the Biden campaign.

The Biden campaign stated that the second event, which is scheduled for early September, would occur in time to impact early voting but would not prevent candidates from hitting the campaign trail during the “critical late September and October period.”

In order to prevent candidates from talking over one another during the debates, the letter also suggested stringent guidelines, such as candidates’ microphones being turned off after the allowed time had passed.