A dozen US news outlets have called on the presumptive US presidential nominees to commit to taking part in TV debates ahead of November’s election.
The statement did not name Joe Biden or Donald Trump, but said it was never too early for candidates to publicly declare they will take part.
The letter warned the stakes of this year’s poll were “exceptionally high.”
Mr Trump, who skipped all four Republican primary debates, has said he is keen to debate President Biden.
The statement – published on Sunday – was signed by the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, as well as ABC, AP CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, NBCUniversal News Group, NewsNation, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision and USA Today.
It said that televised debates have “a rich tradition” in US democracy, dating back to 1976, and that tens of millions of people tune in to watch.
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“If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” the statement said, adding that there was “simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.”
Mr Biden and Mr Trump have won enough delegates to secure their nominations at party conventions. There were no Democratic debates in this presidential election cycle, while Mr Trump secured his nomination despite skipping all the Republican presidential debates.
Mr Trump, 77, has repeatedly claimed Mr Biden, 81, is too old and forgetful to debate him. Mr Biden has made similar allegations about Mr Trump.
Last month, Mr Trump said he would take part in a TV forum with the Democratic president “anytime, anywhere, anyplace”.
But the White House has expressed reluctance to commit to a contest amid concerns that the Commission on Presidential Debates – which administers the debates – would be unable to guarantee a “fair” bout.
According to an Associated Press report last month, when asked by reporters if he would commit to a debate with Mr Trump, Mr Biden said: “It depends on his behaviour.”
The televised debates are set to take place in September and October.
But in a latter on Thursday, Mr Tump’s campaign called for “much earlier” and “more” presidential debates than initially proposed.
“Voting is beginning earlier and earlier, and as we saw in 2020, tens of millions of Americans had already voted by the time of the first debate,” campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in the letter.
In 2020, Mr Biden and Mr Trump took part in two ill-tempered presidential debates.
Mr Trump’s repeated interruptions – which at one point prompted Mr Biden to exclaim “will you shut up, man” – saw NPR call the bout “maybe the worst presidential debate in American history”.
Major broadcast and cable news networks released a joint statement on Sunday urging the “presumptive presidential nominees” to commit to general election debates.
The Commission on Presidential Debates has already announced dates, times and eligibility criteria for debates in 2024. While it’s too early for official invitations to be sent, the TV networks write that candidates who meet the criteria should “publicly state their support for – and their intention to participate in – the Commission’s debates planned for this fall.”
Twelve American news organisations including bitter rivals Fox News and CNN have issued a joint call for Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debate each other to preserve a “rich tradition”.
While Mr Trump did not participate in debates for the Republican nomination he has indicated a willingness to take on his 2020 rival. However Mr Biden has not committed to debating his opponent.
Although invitations have not been formally issued, the news organisations said it was not too early for each campaign to say publicly that it will participate in the three presidential and one vice-presidential forums set by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
“If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarised time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,” the outlets said in a joint statement.
“Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.”
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, PBS, NBC, NPR and The Associated Press all signed the letter.
Mr Biden and Mr Trump debated twice in 2020. A third debate was cancelled after then president Trump tested positive for Covid-19.
Asked on March 8 whether he would commit to a debate with Mr Trump, Mr Biden said, “it depends on his behaviour”.
The president was visibly miffed by his opponent in the freewheeling first 2020 debate, at one point asking, “will you shut up?”
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere
Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a letter this past week that “we have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace and anywhere – and the time to start these debates is now.”
They cited the seven 1858 Illinois Senate debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, saying “certainly today’s America deserves as much”.
The Republican National Committee voted in 2022 to no longer participate in forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
The Trump campaign has not indicated it would adhere to that, but did have some conditions.
The campaign managers said the commission selected a “demonstrably anti-Trump moderator” in then-Fox News host Chris Wallace in 2020 and wants assurances the commission debates are fair and impartial.
The Trump campaign also wants the timetable moved up, saying that many Americans will have already voted by September 16, October 1 and October 9, the dates of the three debates set by the commission.
The Biden campaign declined to comment on the letter, pointing to the president’s earlier statement. There was no immediate response from the Trump campaign.
But on Saturday, Mr Trump held a rally in northeast Pennsylvania with two lecterns set up on the stage: one for him to give a speech, the other to symbolise what he said was Biden’s refusal to debate him. The second lectern had a placard that read, “Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace”.
Midway through his campaign speech, Mr Trump turned to his right and pointed to the second lectern.
“We have a little, look at this, it’s for him,” he said. “See the podium? I’m calling on Crooked Joe Biden to debate anytime, anywhere, anyplace. Right there. And we have to debate because our country is going in the wrong direction so badly and while it’s a little bit typically early we have to debate. We have to explain to the American people what the hell is going on.”
C-SPAN, NewsNation and Univision also joined the letter calling for debates. Only one newspaper, USA Today, added its voice.
Television news ratings are down significantly compared with the 2020 campaign.
There were no Democratic debates this presidential cycle, and Mr Trump’s refusal to participate in the GOP forums depressed interest in them.
