SALT LAKE CITY — Months after it was announced Utah would host the third and final 2024 presidential debate, President Biden's campaign shared he would not participate in events hosted by The Commission on Presidential Debates.
In a letter Wednesday, the Biden for President Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said Biden would not participate in any of the announced debates hosted by The Commission on Presidential Debates, opting instead to participate in debates hosted by news organizations.
The third and final debate of the series hosted by the organization was scheduled to happen on October 9 at the University of Utah, FOX 13 News previously reported.
The letter cited three reasons why Biden would not participate in the debates, saying the scheduled events would happen after early voters begin to cast their ballots, the Commission's debates with "large audiences at great expense simply isn't necessary," and rules that were not enforced during the 2020 presidential debates.
Former President Donald Trump and Biden seemed to agree Wednesday to participate in two seperate debates ahead of the election in November.
The Biden campaign proposed two presidential debates, with the first happening in late June and the second happening in early September.
Additionally, the letter noted a Vice-Presidential debate should be held in July.
"It should be hosted by any broadcast organization that hosted a Republican Primary debate in 2016 in which Donald Trump participated, and a Democratic primary debate in 2020 in which President Biden participated," the letter reads in part. "So neither campaign can assert that the sponsoring organization is obviously unacceptable."
On social media, Biden and Former President Donald Trump both issued statements Wednesday about the debate.
"Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020," Biden's post reads. "Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal."
"I am ready and willing to debate crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September," Trump's social media post reads in part. "I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue..."
Both Biden and Trump have complained about events hosted by the commission in the past, with the Biden campaign holding a grudge specifically for failing to enforce COVID-19 testing rules on Trump and his entourage, the Associated Press reports.
Additionally, the AP reports in 2016, Trump was upset with technical issues at his first debate against Democrat Hillary Clinton and when a debate was canceled altogether in 2020 due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
The commission did not immediately respond to a request from the AP for comment on the situation.
