FACT CHECK: Did the Biden Campaign Attempt to Modify CNN Debate Rules to Permit Sitting for the President?

The Washington Reporter claimed in a June 17 tweet that President Joe Biden’s campaign is “trying to renegotiate” the CNN debate to allow for the incumbent to sit during the event.

🚨SCOOP: Per two sources, including one at CNN, the Biden Campaign is trying to renegotiate the debate rules to allow Biden to be seated.

This would be a major format change from what was agreed to.

— Washington Reporter (@DC_Reporter) June 17, 2024

Verdict: Unsubstantiated

CNN and the Biden campaign denied the claim. The Washington Reporter told Check Your Fact it was standing by its reporting.

Fact Check:

The first presidential debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump is on June 27, hosted by CNN, according to the Washington Post.

The Washington Reporter, a right-leaning news outlet, claimed in a June 17 tweet that the Biden campaign was “trying to renegotiate the debate rules to allow Biden to be seated.”

“SCOOP: Per two sources, including one at CNN, the Biden Campaign is trying to renegotiate the debate rules to allow Biden to be seated. This would be a major format change from what was agreed to,” the Washington Reporter tweeted, citing two sources, including one at CNN.

This claim, though, has been denied by both CNN and the Biden campaign. A CNN spokesperson told Check Your Fact that the story was not accurate.

“CNN’s proposed format was to have both candidates stand and both sides agreed to the rules when they agreed to debate,” the spokesperson said.

The statement does not explicitly deny the Washington Reporter’s claim that “Biden Campaign is trying to renegotiate the debate rules to allow Biden to be seated.”

Kevin Munoz, a Biden campaign spokesperson, referred Check Your Fact to a June 17 tweet where he supported CNN denying the report.

As CNN said, this claim is completely untrue. pic.twitter.com/7UoifKh6dX

— Kevin Munoz (@munozka315) June 17, 2024

Matthew Foldi, the editor in chief of the Washington Reporter, told Check Your Fact that the outlet stood by its reporting (RELATED: Fact Checking Biden’s Claim That He Was ‘Appointed’ To The Naval Academy)

“The Washington Reporter stands by our reporting. We wish CNN the best as they attempt to rebuild trust with the public,” Foldi said.

The rules, agreed on between the Biden and Trump campaigns, state that there will be muted mics, no props, no pre-written notes and each candidate will be “given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water,” according to CNN.

Check Your Fact reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.