President Joe Biden was implored by his closest advisers to participate in his ill-fated debate against now-President Donald Trump, which ended his campaign and precipitated former Vice President Kamala Harris replacing him as the 2024 Democratic nominee.
In a six-page memo, dated April 15, Biden’s advisers underscored how the then-president should debate Trump “as early as possible” because the Commission on Presidential Debates schedule would have started on Sept. 16 when many battleground states had already commenced early voting and voter registration deadlines would have passed.
“By holding the first debate in the spring, YOU will be able to reach the widest audience possible before we are deep in the summer months with the conventions, Olympics, and family vacations taking precedence,” Biden’s advisers wrote. “In addition, the earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump’s weakness and chaos.”
The advisers also suggested that Biden debate Trump twice during his campaign and agree to a plan with his opponent as quickly as possible so he could “enter the debate process from a position of strength.”
