Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is reportedly seeking breaks every 30 minutes during Tuesday night’s first presidential debate.
Fox News producer Pat Ward reported Tuesday that the Biden campaign had asked for breaks every 30 minutes during negotiations for the forthcoming date. The Trump campaign, it was reported, asked during negotiations that both candidates be checked by a third party for listening devices in their ears.
So far, both campaigns’ requests were refused by other, according to Ward.
“FOX News has learned new details about debate negotiations between the Biden and Trump campaigns ahead of tonight’s debate,” outlined Ward on Tuesday.
“The Trump campaign wants the Biden campaign to allow a third party to inspect the ears of the debaters for electronic devices or transmitters. The President has consented to this inspection, but Biden has not – so far,” he reported.
“The Biden campaign requested two breaks (one every thirty minutes) during tonight’s program,” Ward said, “which was denied by their Trump counterparts, in negotiations over the last several weeks.”
FOX News has learned new details about debate negotiations between the Biden and Trump campaigns ahead of tonight’s debate: (1/3)
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) September 29, 2020
The Biden campaign requested two breaks (one every thirty minutes) during tonight’s program, which was denied by their Trump counterparts, in negotiations over the last several weeks. (3/3)
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) September 29, 2020
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said he would be “strongly demanding” a drug test from Biden before or after Tuesday’s debate.
“I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly,” the president wrote to Twitter. “Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???”
I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2020
Team Biden recently responded to Trump’s drug test request — a response Politico called a “clapback.”
“Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it,” said Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield. “We’d expect nothing less from Donald Trump, who pissed away the chance to protect the lives of 200K Americans when he didn’t make a plan to stop COVID-19.”
Back in August, Trump spotlighted Biden’s varying performances in past debates, as noted by The Daily Wire.
“Nobody thought that he was even going to win,” Trump told Washington Examiner columnist Byron York during an interview in the Oval Office. “Because his debate performances were so bad. Frankly, his best performance was against Bernie. We’re going to call for a drug test, by the way, because his best performance was against Bernie. It wasn’t that he was Winston Churchill, because he wasn’t, but it was a normal, boring debate. You know, nothing amazing happened. And we are going to call for a drug test, because there’s no way — you can’t do that.”
“I don’t know how he could have been so incompetent in his debate performances and then all of a sudden be OK against Bernie,” Trump continued. “My point is, if you go back and watch some of those numerous debates, he was so bad. He wasn’t even coherent. And against Bernie, he was. And we’re calling for a drug test.”
UPDATE: Biden Campaign Denies Asking For Debate Breaks Every 30 Minutes