Trump campaign says it doesn’t want changes to debate format after debate commission announces it’ll make changes

Donald Trump’s reelection campaign has said it strongly opposes the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) making changes to the format of the remaining debates after the commission said it would be adopting changes due to backlash received over the chaotic nature of the first 2020 presidential debates between Trump and Joe Biden on Tuesday night, September 29.

Trump relentlessly heckled and interrupted Biden at the first presidential debate on Tuesday, with moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempting to regain control.

The CPD, in making the announcement, did not specify what changes it would be making, but said Wednesday, it would be adding “additional structure” to the format of the debates “to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”

The commission says it will announce the changes it will enact within the next 24 to 48 hours.

But the Trump campaign and Trump himself say they don’t want any changes while Joe Biden says he will follow any new guidelines brought to the debate floor.

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters that the campaign “(does) not want any changes to what has already been laid out and what has been agreed to for the second and third debate, period, point blank.” 

He said Trump “fully plans” on participating in the remaining debates, as does Vice President Mike Pence.

“Why would I allow the Debate Commission to change the rules for the second and third Debates when I easily won last time?” Trump tweeted on Thursday.

Joe Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates, in responding to the CPD’s announcement told CNN that Biden would participate in the next debates “under the CPD’s rules.” 

“The only real question left is whether the President will start following the rules in the next two debates.”

“Since June, we have consistently said we would participate in all three debates, under rules that the CPD established. Only the Trump campaign has been erratic and chaotic in their approach to this, demanding control over the selection of moderators, changes in the dates of the debates, an ear canal inspection rule, and all sorts of other insanity,” Bates said.

Biden added; “I just hope there’s a way in which the debate commission can control the ability of us to answer the questions without interruptions”.