A sitting president sitting out the debates? Donald Trump is actively considering not participating in next year’s series of debates with the Democratic nominee. From The New York Times:
“President Trump is discussing with his advisers the possibility of sitting out the general election debates in 2020 because of his misgivings about the commission that oversees them, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
“Mr. Trump has told advisers that he does not trust the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonprofit entity that sponsors the debates, the two people said.“
In 2016, polls showed that after each debate, voters believed Hillary Clinton was the winner. In the last debate, Trump’s debate team clashed with the Commission over where to seat women who had accused President Bill Clinton of sexual assault or sexual harassment. From The Times:
“The Trump campaign invited the women as surprise guests to the second debate in St. Louis. Mr. Trump wanted them seated in his V.I.P. box, where Mr. Clinton would have to walk past them; they would also have been in her line of site from the stage. In the end, the campaign had to stand down after the commission threatened to call security and have the women removed.“