United States president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump has agreed to hold two Debates on June and September this year ahead of the country’s general elections.
The two rivals have been trading wards for nearly four years.
The sudden agreement, ending months of uncertainty over whether the debates would happen at all, came after Biden aged 81, challenged his scandal-tinged Republican rival to “make my day.”
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Trump aged 77, quickly responded that he was “ready to rumble” and within hours CNN announced it would host the first debate in Atlanta on June 27 and ABC said it would stage the second on September 10.
With former president Trump leading polls in battleground states, Biden appeared to be trying to seize the initiative by proposing both the dates and an audience-free format for the debates.
It represents a calculated political risk against a supreme political showman, with Biden hoping to use the debates to overcome concerns about his age and remind voters of Trump’s chaotic time in the White House.
When asked by an AFP reporter if he was looking forward to the debates, Biden replied: “I am.”
Earlier, he said in a video on X: “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal.”