Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is pushing to reschedule two presidential debates this fall. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), the group in charge of the debate scheduling, is standing its ground.
Jason Miller, Trump’s senior communications advisor, spoke to CNN’s “Reliable Sources” on Sunday about the debate schedule. “Our position on the debates is we want as many people, as many voters, to be participants in and to see the debates as possible,” Miller said.
Trump’s campaign is concerned that two debates are scheduled to take place on the same night as nationally-televised NFL games.
Presidential debates are often challenging to schedule and have overlapped with football games in the past. Two debates in 2012 were scheduled during NFL games.
In a statement released on Sunday, the CPD said the dates will not be changed.
“CPD believes the dates for the 2016 debates will serve the American public well.”
Clinton took advantage of the opportunity by stating that her campaign “has no problem with the calendar.”
“This is just more Trump debate malarkey,” John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chair, tweeted. The Clinton campaign has stated that the Democratic nominee will be present at the debates, and expects Trump to show up, too.
NFL games are played on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays in the fall. The commission has already ruled out Saturdays and Fridays because TV viewing is lower on those days.
