Biden offers to debate Trump twice, saying 'Make my day, pal'

Combination picture showing former U.S. President Donald Trump attending the Trump Organization civil fraud trial, in New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City,... Purchase Licensing Right.

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was willing to debate Republican rival Donald Trump twice before the Nov. 5 election, laying out for the first time his terms for taking on the former president on national television.

Biden called on his opponent to join him for two televised presidential debates in June and September, an offer Trump accepted via a post on his Truth Social platform. Trump recommended more than two debates - and a very large venue "for excitement purposes."

The Democratic president's proposal, the first formal offer by his campaign, ditched the decades-old tradition of three fall debates and called for direct negotiations between the Trump and Biden campaigns over the rules, network hosts and moderators. He also proposed a separate vice presidential debate in July, after the Republican National Convention.

Biden's move shows he is willing to take some calculated risks to boost his opinion poll numbers in a race in which he is trailing Trump in key battleground states, as voters remain concerned about his age and his handling of the economy.

"Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then he hasn't shown up for a debate," Biden said in a video message posted on X. "Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Make my day, pal. I'll even do it twice."

Trump responded to Biden by calling him "the worst debater" he has ever faced. "I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September," he posted.

"I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds - That's only because he doesn't get them," Trump added.

Trump, who refused to debate his rivals in the Republican primary race, has in recent weeks been challenging Biden to engage in a one-on-one matchup with him, offering to debate the incumbent Democrat "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."

In the video, Biden also took a swipe at Trump's legal troubles with an oblique reference to the weekly Wednesday breaks in Trump's hush money trial in New York.

"So let's pick the dates, Donald. I hear you're free on Wednesdays," Biden said.

Biden's team also requested that only broadcast networks that hosted Republican primary debates in 2016 and Democratic primary debates in 2020 be eligible to host this year. Only four networks hosted debates for both parties during those election cycles