“ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE”: Trump Responds to Biden Saying He Will Debate “Somewhere, I Don’t Know When”

Trump rattled Biden in their first debate, screen image, September 29, 2020.

President Trump has been pressuring Joe Biden to debate for months, with Biden not committing. At recent rallies, Trump has set an empty debate podium for Biden on stage.

I love the podium Trump brings with him every time he does a rally for Biden to debate him on. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/eiWLjjkIV1

— The Conservative Patriot (@TheConserv55806) April 14, 2024

Joe Biden gave an interview to not-so-shocking-anymore-jock Howard Stern on SiriusXM Friday morning–or as Fox host Dagen McDowell put it, “that was Fart Man interviewing old man.”

Fart Man interviewing Old man 😂 pic.twitter.com/sYyzeu2pVB

— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) April 26, 2024

Stern: “I don’t know if you’re gonna to debate your, uh, your opponent.”

Biden: “I am somewhere, I don’t know when. I’m happy to debate him.”

Senior Trump campaign advisor and chief operating officer of the Republican National Committee Chris LaCivita posted a reply to Biden on X Twitter, “Ok let’s set it up!”

Ok let’s set it up ! https://t.co/wPMBiGi0IU

— Chris LaCivita (@LaCivitaC) April 26, 2024

Trump responded in Trump style on Truth Social Friday afternoon, “Crooked Joe Biden just announced that he’s willing to debate! Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters. I suggest Monday Evening, Tuesday Evening, or Wednesday Evening at my Rally in Michigan, a State that he is in the process of destroying with his E.V. Mandate. In the alternative, he’s in New York City today, although probably doesn’t know it, and so am I, stuck in one of the many Court cases that he instigated as ELECTION INTERFERENCE AGAINST A POLITICAL OPPONENT – A CONTINUING WITCH HUNT! It’s the only way he thinks he can win. In fact, let’s do the Debate at the Courthouse tonight – on National Television, I’ll wait around!”

The Commission on Presidential Debates, the bipartisan body that has overseen presidential debates since 1988, announced the schedule for the 2024 debates last November.

First presidential debate:
Monday, September 16, 2024
Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

Vice presidential debate:
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Lafayette College, Easton, PA

Second presidential debate:
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA

Third presidential debate:
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Trump is pushing for more and earlier debates as ‘early voting’ starts in some states before the first debate. The Trump campaign sent a letter to the debate commission on April 11:

Dear Members of the Commission:

We write today in agreement with the pending letter from television networks advocating for presidential debates to occur in 2024.

While the Commission on Presidential Debates has already announced three presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate to occur later this year, we are in favor of these debates beginning much earlier.

Here’s why:

1) Voting is beginning earlier and earlier, and as we saw in 2020, tens of millions of Americans had already voted by the time of the first debate. Specific to the Commission’s proposed 2024 calendar, it simply comes too late. Below are the estimates for how many Americans will have already voted by the date of each scheduled debate:

a. By the date of the first proposed debate, September 16, 2024, over 1 million Americans will have likely voted.
b. By the date of the second proposed debate, October 1, 2024, the number of Americans who will have likely cast a ballot will be over 3 million, an increase of 225%.
c. By the date of the third proposed debate, October 9, 2024, or 35 days out from election day, approximately 8.7 million Americans will have already voted.

2) Americans were robbed of a true and robust debate in 2020. There were only two debates, and they happened much too late in the election calendar despite voting timelines having moved up exponentially.

In 2020, the Commission ceded to the wishes of the Biden campaign on every front, refusing to move up the dates of the debates, failing to reschedule the debate canceled by COVID-19, cutting off President Trump’s microphone over and over in the middle of a debate, and in the
case of the first debate, selecting a demonstrably anti-Trump moderator clearly positioned to aid Joe Biden. Fairness in such a setting is paramount and the Commission must ensure that the 2024 Commission-sponsored debates are truly fair and conducted impartially.

The Commission must move up the timetable of its proposed 2024 debates to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting, and we would argue for adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule. We have
already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere – and the time to start these debates is now.

Former President Abraham Lincoln and former U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas held seven debates in their storied 1858 U.S. Senate battle in Illinois. Certainly today’s America deserves as much.

Sincerely,
Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita
Donald J. Trump for President Co-Campaign Managers