The Commission on Presidential Debates on Thursday rejected a request by President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign to add a fourth debate in early September or change the date of one of the events, according to Axios.
The organization noted it would “consider” the Trump campaign’s request, “If the candidates were to agree that they wished to add to that schedule.” It is presently unclear whether the campaign of presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden would oblige.
“In your letter, you express the Trump campaign’s interest in a presidential debate in early September. You state that such a debate is necessary because some states begin sending out mail-in ballots before the first scheduled debate,” the body replied to Rudy Giuliani, who made the request for an additional debate on behalf of the Trump campaign. “There is a difference between ballots having been issued by a state and those ballots having been cast by voters, who are under no compulsion to return their ballots before the debates.”
The commission’s letter continues: “In 2016, when the debate schedule was similar, only .0069% of the electorate had voted at the time of the first debate. While more people will likely vote by mail in 2020, the debate schedule has been and will be highly publicized. Any voter who wishes to watch one or more debates before voting will be well aware of that opportunity.”
The organization also denied a request to pick from a list of moderators suggested by the campaign, writing it would make the decision, “with great care, as always, to ensure that the selected moderators are qualified and fair.
The development comes as Establishment media figures are urging Biden to bow out of the debates, claiming President Trump is too dishonest to face-off against. However, former second lady Jill Biden claimed this week that her husband will indeed participate in the debates.