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Twelve major national news organizations penned a letter<\/a> Sunday asking presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden<\/strong> and Donald Trump<\/strong> to agree to participate in televised general election debates before voters go to the polls in November.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high,\u201d wrote the organizations, which included ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, and PBS.<\/p>\n \u201cAmidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation,\u201d the letter continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n Noting that debates \u201chave a rich tradition\u201d in American democracy and \u201cplayed a vital role in every presidential election\u201d over the past half-century, the signees urged the candidates to \u201cpublicly state their support for \u2014 and their intention to participate in\u201d debates planned by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which currently has three contests scheduled for the months leading up to the election.<\/p>\n The unusual demand comes as both candidates skirted debates during their respective primaries. Trump publicly snubbed<\/a> each of the debates hosted by the Republican National Committee, citing his double-digit lead, while the Biden campaign quietly rebuffed<\/a> calls from primary opponents to get on a debate stage.<\/p>\n Even as Trump loudly refused to share the stage with any fellow Republicans, he has spent months attempting to goad the president into a public debate. In a rally earlier this month, he taunted<\/a> Biden with an empty lectern on the stage. \u201cThis is for Joe Biden. I am trying to get him to debate,\u201d Trump said. \u201cTrying to get Crooked Joe to debate. Anytime, anyplace.\u201d On Thursday, Trump campaign officials Susie Wiles<\/strong> and Chris LaCivita<\/strong> sent a letter<\/a> to the Commission on Presidential Debates asking it to hold more than the usual three contests.<\/p>\n The incumbent Democratic president has been more equivocal about sharing the stage with Trump. Asked by a reporter in March whether he\u2019d commit to a debate, Biden replied<\/a> that it \u201cdepends on [Trump\u2019s] behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump and Biden debated two times during their 2020 matchup (a third planned debate was canceled after then-President Trump contracted COVID-19). The current presumptive GOP nominee\u2019s conduct during the first debate was so disruptive<\/a> that the Commission on Presidential Debates introduced<\/a> a mute button.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n