Biden proposes June and September faceoffs with Trump, ditching debate commission

The president said he will not participate in the traditional televised showdowns organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

President Biden said Wednesday that he will not participate in the decades-old tradition of three fall meetings organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, instead calling on his Republican rival Donald Trump to join him for two televised presidential debates in June and September.

The Biden proposal, outlined in a video message and letter to the commission, called for direct negotiations between the Trump and Biden campaigns over the rules, moderators and network hosts for the one-on-one meetings. He proposed a separate vice-presidential debate in July, after the Republican nominating convention and before the Democratic nominating convention.  READ MORE: