Topline
The Republican National Committee voted unanimously Thursday to “withdraw” future Republican nominees from the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which has organized debates since the 1988 election but drew former President Donald Trump’s ire in 2016 and 2020.
Then-President Donald Trump participates in the first presidential debate against then-Democratic … [+]
Key Facts
The RNC in a statement blasted the CPD as a “biased” organization and cited complaints appearing to largely stem from Trump as reasons for withdrawing, such as its move to make a “unilateral” format change for one of the 2020 debates.
Republicans will instead move toward “exploring other avenues for candidates to have a free and fair forum for all Americans,” with the RNC vowing that “we are not walking away from debates.”
The resolution the RNC passed Thursday requires all Republican presidential candidates to vow in writing they will only appear at party-sanctioned debates, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The decision on whether to accept an invitation to a debate is up to each party’s nominee, but Thursday’s move means future GOP nominees choosing to participate in a commission event would be directly opposing the wishes of the Republican Party’s main fundraising arm: the RNC.
What We Don’t Know
It’s not clear what the future is of the CPD, which was formed in 1987 by the chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties. The CPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes. It’s also unclear what shape presidential debates—huge opportunities for candidates to reach new or undecided voters—will take in the future.
Crucial Quote
“We are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
Key Background
Trump in 2020 threatened to sit out of debates after blasting the process in 2016, when he said it was a “rigged deal” that a commission co-chair was President Bill Clinton’s former press secretary, even though the other co-chair used to head the RNC. Trump did end up withdrawing from one debate that was switched to a virtual format following his bout with Covid, calling the change “not acceptable” after it was made without consulting the campaigns. Trump also repeatedly claimed that debate moderators were biased against him.
Further Reading
RNC Wants To Shut Out Presidential Debate Commission Trump Claimed Was Biased (Forbes)
Trump Refuses To Attend Second Presidential Debate After Change To Virtual Format (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/14/rnc-officially-withdraws-from-commission-on-presidential-debates/