Opinion | Biden outmaneuvered Trump with the presidential debates deal – The Washington Post – The Washington Post
If Joe Biden wants to minimize potential debate damage, starting early and ending early is smart.
Traditionally, there are three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate — or at least, that’s how it worked in 2016, 2012, 2008, 2004, 2000 and 1992. (Bill Clinton and Bob Dole debated only twice in 1996.) The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates scheduled three debates in 2020, but Donald Trump caught covid-19, and organizers said it would be held virtually “to protect the health and safety of all involved.” Trump pulled out, then his campaign demanded the debate be held later, and the two campaigns could never agree on a time and place for the third debate.