Biden Chooses CNN for First Debate, Trump’s Favored Foe

President Joe Biden accepted an invitation from CNN to debate in June, the first organization to be publicly announced as a potential debate host after the president challenged former President Donald Trump to join him on stage Wednesday morning.

“I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald,” Biden said in a post to X. “As you said: anywhere, any time, any place.”

Biden challenged Trump to two debates in a video earlier in the morning, quipping that he hears the former president is “free on Wednesdays” because of breaks in Trump’s hush money trial in New York.

Trump and CNN have had a tense relationship since the 2016 election, when the cable news network was criticized for broadcasting the former president’s rallies without interrupted. Trump has complained that CNN is biased, disparaging it as “the Clinton News Network, a reference to then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton,” and “fake news.” Prior to his town hall with anchor Kaitlan Collins in May 2023, his last appearance on the network was an interview with Jake Tapper in 2016.

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“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, and since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate,” Biden said. “Now, he is acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice.”

Jen O’Malley Dillon, chairwoman of Biden’s campaign, also informed the Commission on Presidential Debates that they would not be taking part in their events and proposed alternate one-on-one debates in June and September instead. O’Malley Dillon suggested that the debates should be hosted by moderate networks, requiring that it “should be hosted by any organization” that hosted a 2016 GOP primary debate that Trump participated in and a 2020 primary debate in which Biden participated.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign for a response.