With Joe Biden ‘happy to debate’, Donald Trump calls for verbal duel at courthouse
- The US president’s team had previously been non-committal about his willingness to take part in the election tradition against his White House challenger
- A debate could be an opportunity for both rivals to display stamina and shake off doubts about their age and energy levels
Joe Biden said on Friday he is ready to face off against his White House challenger Donald Trump in a presidential debate, with the Republican, ensnarled in multiple criminal cases, proposing to hold the verbal duel at a New York courthouse without delay.
Candidate debates have been important milestones in US presidential elections for decades, helping make or break voters’ opinions of the contestants’ personal style and demeanour as much as their policy chops.
But Biden’s team has for months been non-committal about his willingness to participate in the tradition, which is usually held in front of an audience and moderated by a well-known journalist.
“I am happy to debate him,” Biden told radio host Howard Stern on Friday. “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when,” he said.
Trump responded swiftly, saying he was willing to debate “crooked Joe Biden … ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE”.
Trump, who accuses Biden of using the justice system to undermine his White House bid, proposed holding the debate either at his campaign rallies in the midwestern state of Michigan next week – or as early as Friday evening.