No, Biden did not back out of debates with Trump in May 2024 | Fact check
The claim: Biden backed out of debating Trump in May 2024
TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (L) and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden exchange arguments during the first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 29, 2020. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
A May 18 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows side-by-side images of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
“Joe Biden has announced he will not participate in debates with former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election,” the post reads in part. “This decision, confirmed by NBC News, marks a significant departure from traditional campaign strategies.”
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The post was shared more than 100 times in three days.
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Our rating: False
The debates are still on. There has been no announcement from the Biden campaign about canceling, nor did NBC News report on such a development.
Debates on schedule
Biden and Trump agreed May 15 to hold a pair of debates ahead of the 2024 presidential election, one June 27 on CNN and the other Sept. 10 on ABC. The candidates worked out details directly with the networks and eschewed the Commission on Presidential Debates and its previously published schedule of three debates.
While some pundits have questioned if the debate schedule will stick, Biden has not dropped out of the already agreed-upon events.
No reputable news outlets have reported that Biden announced he would not debate Trump. There is likewise nothing on the White House's website about Biden dropping out of the debates.
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The post also claims NBC News confirmed the cancellation of debates. An NBC News spokesperson declined to comment, but there is no mention of Biden canceling the debates on the network's website.
On May 17, NBC News did report that the Biden campaign said it would not participate in more than the two announced debates despite Trump and his campaign saying they had accepted an invitation from Fox News and one with NBC and Telemundo for more.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Biden did not back out of debates with Trump in May 2024 | Fact check