FACT CHECK: Did Joe Biden Drop Out Of Presidential Debates?
A post shared on social media purports President Joe Biden has dropped out of the two scheduled debates with former President Donald Trump.
Verdict: False
The claim is inaccurate at this time. Neither CNN nor ABC has announced a cancellation.
Fact Check:
The Biden Administration is set to cancel student loan debt for 160,000 borrowers, including public servants, NBC News reported. The Education Department will provide $7.7 billion in relief for borrowers as Biden reassures that he “will never stop working to cancel student debt,” according to the outlet.
A post shared on Facebook purports that Biden will no longer participate in a presidential debate with Trump. The post shared a photo of each of the candidates.
“Title: ‘Biden Declines Debates with Trump,'” the caption reads. “In a surprising move, President Joe Biden has announced he will not participate in debates with former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election. This decision, confirmed by NBC News, marks a significant departure from traditional campaign strategies. Biden’s team cites a preference for direct engagement with voters and a focus on policy discussions without the spectacle of televised debates.”
The claim is inaccurate. Trump and Biden recently agreed to two debates, according to AP News. The first, hosted by CNN, will have no audience and will be moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bush. The second will be hosted by ABC.
CNN will hold their debate on June 27 and ABC will hold theirs on September 10.
NBC News reported Biden turned down the offer to participate in two additional debates that would make a total four televised debates. Trump posted on Truth Social that he had accepted the additional events to be hosted by Fox News and another hosted by NBC and Telemundo, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Would Virginia State University Be The First HBCU To Host A Presidential Debate?)
However, the two debates agreed upon by both Trump and Biden have not been cancelled at this time. Trump has not announced the debates were cancelled on his social media account. Likewise, Biden has not mentioned that the debates are no longer happening on any of his social media accounts. Neither CNN nor ABC has announced a cancellation.
This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim that President Joe Biden banned talking about the bible.