Former United States President Donald Trump said that he is willing to have multiple debates with President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The remarks come as the Republican businessman has not stepped on stage for a debate even once this election season to debate his GOP rivals. When asked about the possibility of meeting his 2020 rival face-to-face, Trump said, "We can do you, you can do anybody you want."
Trump Challenges Biden to Debate
The former president's comments come as he knows full well that the Democratic leader will have to respond to his supposed challenge. He added that when the final Republican and final Democrat are left in the nomination, they will have to debate regardless.
Trump went full general election mode now that his nomination to become the GOP presidential candidate is all but guaranteed. He added that he does not think that Biden will accept his challenge for a debate, as per Deadline.
On the other hand, Biden was in Los Angeles to participate in a deep pocket fundraiser in the evening that will be hosted by Haim and Cheryl Saban, and Casey Wasserman. During the president's last trip out West, he pulled in roughly $15 million in his up-close and personal get-togethers with Hollywood donors.
He was able to raise roughly $24 million last month and the well-funded Biden/Harris campaign currently has about $130 million on hand. With Biden set to give a speech in Culver City on Wednesday before traveling to San Francisco for more fundraisers, he could break that financial milestone soon.
The advanced age of both Biden and Trump has become one of the crucial points of discussion in the 2024 campaign as they have both blundered in public appearances. On Tuesday, Biden took another swipe at Biden, saying, "He's declined, but he was always sort of semi-declined."
Presidential Debates in the 2024 Race
Trump's debate challenge to Biden also comes as there are three presidential debates scheduled for the 2024 race, the first one in September. The former president has cited his significant polling lead to justify his decision to opt-out from attending debates handled by his own party, according to The Hill.
Some pundits have suggested that the Republican businessman's decision to skip his party's primary debates could give the sitting president justification to opt out of the general election debates. In December, a Biden campaign official said that their team "will have those conversations" about debates in the future.
The former president's willingness to debate Biden comes as polls have shown him having a narrow lead in several key swing states. The figures show a drastic change of tune for Trump, who has long blasted the Commission on Presidential Debates as biased.
Trump had previously issued a debate challenge to Biden earlier this month, something that the Democratic president simply shrugged off. The latter claimed that his predecessor currently has nothing else to do.
The exchange suggests that both parties all but believe that the two candidates will be their respective nominees despite the primary season still ongoing. Furthermore, it also reflects their debate strategy so far in the election cycle, said CNBC.
