NBC, CNN and Fox News Join 9 Other Outlets Urging Trump and Biden to Commit to Election Debates

The five leading broadcast and cable news networks joined six more major wire, print and radio organizations on Sunday with a joint statement urging the 2024 presidential candidates to commit to participating in general election debates.

“With the contours of the 2024 general election now coming into clear focus, we — the undersigned national news organizations — urge the presumptive presidential nominees to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November’s election,” the letter reads.

The statement is signed by ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX News Media, NBCUniversal News Group, NewsNation, Noticias Univision (Univision Network News), NPR, PBS NewsHour and USA TODAY.

NBCUniversal News Group includes NBC News and MSNBC.

“General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years, dating to 1976,” the letter continues. “In each of those elections, tens of millions have tuned in to watch the candidates debating side by side, in a competition of ideas for the votes of American citizens.”

Former president and now presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump skipped all four Republican primary debates in 2023 and 2024, but has been enthusiastic about debating President Biden ahead of the general election this fall. The Biden campaign has remained undecided on their commitment; when asked at the State of the Union in March if he would debate Trump, Biden said “it depends on his behavior.”

“Since 1988, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored all presidential general election debates,” the letter continues. “The Commission has previously announced dates, times, and eligibility criteria for 2024 debates. Though it is too early for invitations to be extended to any candidates, it is not too early for candidates who expect to meet the eligibility criteria to publicly state their support for – and their intention to participate in – the Commission’s debates planned for this fall.”

The letter concludes with a message of unity. “If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high. Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.”

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