Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has refused be checked for an earpiece ahead of Tuesday night’s presidential debate, according to the Trump campaign.
The news: Fox News first reported that President Donald Trump’s team wanted a third-party inspection of the candidates for electronic transmitters before they take the stage in Cleveland.
- Hours before the televised showdown, Biden’s team agreed to the rule — which would prevent the candidates from being fed answers — but then backed out, the Trump campaign said.
- The Biden campaign also requested breaks every 30 minutes during the 90-minute commercial-free event, but Trump’s team refused, Fox News reported, citing unnamed sources.
- “Joe Biden’s handlers several days ago agreed to a pre-debate inspection for electronic earpieces but today abruptly reversed themselves and declined. Biden’s handlers have asked for multiple breaks during the debate, which President Trump doesn’t need, so we have rejected that request,” said Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh.
Murtaugh additionally cited Biden’s refusal on Sunday to take a performance-enhancing drug test ahead of the debate — a precaution Trump has repeatedly called for — as proof the former vice president needs a “safety net.”
- “On top of the refusal to take a drug test, it seems pretty obvious that the Biden team is looking for any safety net they can find in the hours leading up to the debate. With his 47 years as a failed Washington politician, how much help does Biden want?” he said.
The response: Asked if the Biden campaign had initially agreed to the earpiece inspection, campaign adviser Symone Sanders reportedly said: “This is so ridiculous. This is absolutely ridiculous.”
Kate Bedingfield, the Biden campaign’s communication director, reportedly said of the Democrat, “Of course he’s not wearing an earpiece and we never asked for breaks.”
- Bedingfield also alleged that the Trump campaign asked debate moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News anchor, not to mention coronavirus death statistics.
- “You can consider that confirmed from the Biden campaign. See how easy that was to try to throw up a distraction?” she said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its alleged request for a ban on coronavirus stats.
Psychological warfare: The leaks by the Trump campaign play into its strategy of questioning whether Biden, at age 77, is mentally fit for the presidency.
Tuesday’s debate, the first of three in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election, kicks off at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
