Due To Lingering Grudge, Trump Threatens To Boycott Debates

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton debates with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the third presidential debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. (Mark Ralston/Pool via AP)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Donald Trump is in talks with his advisers about skipping the general election debates in 2020, maintaining that he was ill-treated by the nonprofit commission that sponsors them.

According to the New York Times, Trump blames the Commission on Presidential Debates for his lack of success in 2016 appearances against Hillary Clinton.

After one night in September 2016 when his performance was widely criticized, he claimed that his microphone was defective. The commission later acknowledged that technical issues did affect the volume of his voice.

During the second debate, the commission refused to let Trump’s campaign seat women — all of whom have accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct — where they wanted to. The plan was to plant the women in the V.I.P. box, to force the former President to walk by them on the way to his seat. There, they also would have been in Hillary Clinton’s sight line from the stage. The campaign had to give up on the seating plan when the commission threatened to order security to remove the women.

Trump’s advisers told the Times that they would not discuss his debate plan until next year.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. What a convenient excuse…

  2. Avatar for rapier rapier says:

    Why would the Democratic nominee ‘debate’ Trump? It would be nuts.

  3. The snowflake is afraid to participate in the debates. He did badly in the first ones, his mental condition has degenerated significantly since then and he and his advisors don’t want it on view.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

147 more replies

Participants

Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for old_curmudgeon Avatar for grokenstein Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for becca656 Avatar for inversion Avatar for tacoma Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for danny Avatar for lastroth Avatar for greylady Avatar for esva Avatar for sfaw Avatar for grandpajoe Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for lizzymom Avatar for dannydorko Avatar for katscherger Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for justruss Avatar for timorwig Avatar for katex Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for anon84323658

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: