Background: The Commission on Presidential Debates has run the debates for presidential elections for three decades. Lately it has been criticized as having an anti-Republican bias.

Examples of bias: In 2020, the Trump campaign wanted the debates to be scheduled before the mail-in voting period. That request didn’t go through. Additionally, a mute button was announced after Trump interrupted Biden to press him on Hunter Biden’s business dealings. The new rule prevented candidates from interrupting each other.

Requests: For 2024, Republicans wanted fairer moderators and debates before early voting. They were unable to secure those demands and cut ties as a result.

It’s possible that presidential debates may not happen in 2024 under the new conditions; however, the RNC has expressed its commitment to free and fair debates.