"Make my day, Pal"

Biden proposes June and September debates with Trump, who accepts dates
The president said he will not participate in the traditional televised showdowns organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

By Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey
Updated May 15, 2024 at 9:52 a.m. EDT|Published May 15, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. EDT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/15/biden-trump-presidential-debates/

President Biden said Wednesday that he will not participate in the decades-old tradition of three fall meetings organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, instead calling on his Republican rival Donald Trump to join him for two televised presidential debates in June and September.

Trump responded minutes later saying he accepted Biden’s offer. “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds.”

“Just tell me when, I’ll be there,” he continued, before referencing a tag line from professional boxing. “'Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!”

The public announcement follows private back-channel discussions about possible meetings. The officials with the Biden and Trump campaigns have privately had informal conversations on debates in recent weeks, focused on meetings that would not involve the commission, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private events.