Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s campaign said he will continue to debate President Donald Trump, amid calls for the former vice president to cancel the remaining two events.
“I don’t know how many different ways we can say it. Yes, we are going to do the debates,” Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, told reporters after the debate on Sept. 29, according to The Hill.
His running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), said that Biden would attend the next two debates and is “never going to refuse to talk to the American people.” The next two events are scheduled for Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a top Biden surrogate, told Politico that it wasn’t clear whether Biden should commit to future debates.
“It was very hard to follow what was being said, and President Trump showed not just disrespect to the moderator, but to the American people who tuned in trying to figure out what his plans are,” Coons said. “The point of the debate is for the American people to make a decision, informed by hearing from the two candidates on what’s your record, what are your values? Joe Biden came prepared to respect the American people. Donald Trump did not.”
Some Democrats pointed out that Trump frequently interrupted Biden and talked over him, while also criticizing moderator Chris Wallace.
On Sept. 30, Biden opened his day by delivering a speech alongside the rails of Cleveland’s train station. The former vice president’s campaign stenciled a map of the train journey he’s making with wife, Jill, on a board behind the lectern where he spoke.
Trump, meanwhile, was scheduled to attend an afternoon fundraiser in Shorewood, Minnesota, a suburb to the west of Minneapolis, before appearing at an evening campaign rally in Duluth on the shores of Lake Superior.
