President Biden on Friday said his decision on whether to debate President Trump ahead of Election Day is dependent on his opponent’s ‘behavior.’
Biden was asked on Friday, the day after his State of the Union address, if he would debate Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
‘Depends on his behavior,’ Biden said.
Biden’s comments come after Trump challenged him earlier in the week to a debate ‘anytime, anywhere, anyplace.’
Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner and presumptive nominee, posted his offer on his Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon — just hours after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his last-standing Republican opponent, suspended her campaign.
‘It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,’ Trump posted Wednesday. ‘Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).’
The Biden campaign fired back shortly after Trump’s invitation on Wednesday.
‘I know Donald Trump’s thirsty for attention and struggling to expand his appeal beyond the MAGA base — and that’s a conversation we’ll have at the appropriate time in this cycle,’ Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler told Fox News Digital. ‘But if he’s so desperate to see President Biden in prime time, he doesn’t have to wait!’
Tyler invited Trump to watch the State of the Union on Thursday night.
Trump gave a live play-by-play during Biden’s address, reacting throughout.
Biden invoked Trump nearly a dozen times in his State of the Union address, but never by name. He repeatedly referred to him as ‘my predecessor.’
Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview after the address that Biden ‘suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome,’ and said the president was ‘angry’ and ‘mentally disturbed’ throughout his speech.
‘He did a terrible job,’ Trump said.