RNC, Trump campaign oppose changing debate rules

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Republican National Committee (RNC) and President Donald Trump’s campaign team opposed debate format changes being offered by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
• According to the GOP groups, CPD was making the changes to assist Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
• The commission announced on Wednesday that it was considering changing the debate rules following the chaotic debate between Trump and Biden last Tuesday night.

Following the changes that the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) was offering after the chaotic first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump’s campaign have announced their refusal to the move.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told Fox News that the commission should avoid making adjustments without a go signal from both candidates. Since both parties had already agreed with the current format, she said that the rules should not be changed “in the middle of the campaign.”

“I don’t think you should be changing the rules that they have agreed to and I do not think this commission has the right to just arbitrarily change rules without talking to both candidates and getting agreement and input from both sides,” she argued.

McDaniel also floated the idea that the CPD was doing the changes needed to help Biden, noting that the former vice president “got away” despite not being able to answer tough questions during the debate.

“I hope the Committee on Presidential Debates does not change the rules to once again protect Joe Biden from answering to the American people,” she said.

The RNC chairwoman said that she would not support a change such as cutting the microphone off for either of the candidates if they break the rules. During the first debate, Trump repeatedly interrupted both Biden and moderator Chris Wallace.

The Trump campaign responded also insinuated that the commission is trying to aid Biden with the proposed changes.

“They’re only doing this because their guy got pummeled last night,” campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.

“President Trump was the dominant force and now Joe Biden is trying to work the refs. They shouldn’t be moving the goalposts and changing the rules in the middle of the game.”

In a press briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not address whether the president would still participate in the succeeding debates when the rules will be changed.

“He thinks the only way there is a fair debate is a change in the moderator and a change in the Democrat nominee,” McEnany told reporters. 

“He wants to debate. He plans on being at the debate, but he wants the rules to be fair and wants a fair exchange and doesn’t want rules that cover for a certain candidate’s inability to perform well,” she added.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the commission wrote that it was planning some format changes as a response to the counterproductive debate on Tuesday night.

Source: The Hill