Trump says 'I want to debate very badly.' But he has conditions

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he wants to “debate very badly” with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton but will first see terms and conditions of the three presidential debates scheduled for September and October.

“I will absolutely do three debates. I want to debate very badly. But I have to see the conditions,” Trump told The Time magazine.

The debate is considered the most significant part of the US presidential elections, which very often decides the fate of a candidate.

The three presidential debates scheduled this time are September 26 (Hempstead, New York), October 9 (St Louis) and October 19 in Las Vegas.

The one vice-presidential debate is scheduled for October 4 in Farmville, Virginia.

The non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which conducts the debate, had last September announced the dates, venue and terms and conditions for the debate. The format of each 90-minute debate has already been set.

Trump said that he had haggled with television networks over the terms of debates held during the Grand Old Party primary and might do so again.

“I renegotiated the debates in the primaries, remember? They were making a fortune on them and they had us in for three-and-a-half hours and I said that’s ridiculous.

“I am sure they’ll be open to any suggestions I have, because I think they’ll be very fair suggestions. But I haven’t (seen the conditions) yet. They’re actually presented to me tonight,” he said.

Trump also said he reserved the right to object to the commission’s choice of moderators, which have not yet been announced.

“I’ll have to see who the moderators are. Yeah, I would say that certain moderators would be unacceptable, absolutely. I did very well in the debates on the primaries. According to the polls, I won all of them. So I look forward to the debates. But, yeah, I want to have fair moderators. I will demand fair moderators,” he said.

Meanwhile, Politico reported that the Commission is preparing for a third seat on the podium of the debate in case any of the third party candidates get more than 15 per cent in recent national polls.

Did Trump threaten Hillary?

Meanwhile, Trump has come under severe criticism for his controversial “Second Amendment” remark which many in the media have interpreted as a threat of violence against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

At an election rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Tuesday, Trump said the “Second Amendment people” – gun owners or those backing gun rights -- could stop Clinton from winning the White House and picking new US Supreme Court justices.

“This is simple -- what Trump is saying is dangerous. A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way,” said Robby Mook, Hillary for America Campaign Manager.

Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia, who is the running mate of Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential nominee, said that he could not believe the comments made by Trump, while a former spymaster said that but for the Republican nominee such a remark would have landed him behind bars.

In the American political system, there has been an unwritten protocol and zero tolerance to any statements that could be even interpreted as inciting violence.

“If Trump were not a major-party presidential nominee, his comment yesterday might have earned him a stern visit from the Secret Service. Instead, it will simply be added to the ever-growing list of Trump’s disqualifiers -- and to the ever-growing burden of Republican leaders who continue to insist that their candidate is suitable to serve,” The Washington Post said in an editorial.

“As is often the case, Trump was incoherent enough to permit more than one plausible interpretation of his words. If he had not so often celebrated violence and wielded dark innuendo against political opponents, minority groups, journalists and others, it would be easier to give him the benefit of the doubt in this case,” it said.

Seldom, if ever, have Americans been exposed to a candidate so willing to descend to the depths of bigotry and intolerance as Trump, ‘The New York Times’ said in a lead editorial.

“That he would make yesterday’s comment amid sinking poll numbers and a wave of Republican defections suggests that when bathed in the adulation of a crowd, Trump is unable to control himself,” it said.  

Image: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds babies at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters