The presidential campaigns of Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump and incumbent Democrat Joe Biden are battling over the topics to be covered in their first presidential debate next month, the New York Post reported Thursday.
Both campaigns have presented a wish list of topics for the June 27 head-to-head showdown in Atlanta on CNN, according to the report. Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be the ultimate decision-makers on topics.
Biden's campaign made public their wish list last week:
- The Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade
- Trump's claim of a rigged 2020 election
- Trump's economic plan
That's a far different wish list than Trump's campaign:
- Biden's response to a porous southern border
- The lack of law and order in America's cities
- Rampant inflation
"It's no surprise that weak, dishonest Joe Biden wants to avoid debate topics that force him to answer for his failed record," Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post on Wednesday.
"Weak Joe Biden won't be able to gaslight Americans on live TV when President Trump calls him out for putting Americans last on June 27," she added.
The differences in what they want to talk about are mirrored by how each candidate plans to prepare for the first debate.
CNN reported the Biden team is planning for "sprawling" debate prep that will include sequestering the 81-year-old Biden for a stretch, possibly at Camp David.
Trump advisers, meanwhile, say there have been no discussions about debate prep with the former president, who eschews formal practice sessions. They also point to a candidate who's already getting his message out in stump speeches across the country and live interviews.
"[Biden's] puppet-masters are in full panic trying to figure out how to prop up their feeble candidate," Leavitt said in a statement to NBC News. "In contrast, President Trump is out delivering 90-minute speeches to tens of thousands of supporters and taking on tough interview after tough interview, talking about how we're going to bring back the great Trump economy and once again secure our borders."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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