President Trump is weighing whether to forego debating his Democratic opponent in 2020.
Trump’s issue is less with the potential Democratic nominee and more about the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonprofit organization that sponsors the debates, according to the New York Times.
Trump told his advisers he does not trust the commission and worries about the media personality who will be chosen to moderate the debate.
The president repeatedly complained about the debates in the 2016 general election, which gave Hillary Clinton a bump in the polls after each of their matchups.
After his debate performance in September 2016 was criticized, Trump blamed a “defective mic” and questioned whether it was done “on purpose” to boost Clinton. The commission acknowledged that a technical malfunction had affected the volume of his mic during the debate.
His debate team also clashed with the commission over a group of women who accused President Bill Clinton of sexual assault or sexual harassment. The Trump campaign invited the women to the second debate and wanted them seated in the V.I.P. box, where the former president would have to walk past them. The commission threatened to have the women removed if they sat in Trump’s box.
