Trump On Debates: ‘I Will Demand Fair Moderators’

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is looking forward to debating Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton at least three times before the November election – but only if he agrees with the bipartisan commission’s “conditions.”

“I will absolutely do three debates,” Trump told TIME over the phone on August 9. “I want to debate very badly. But I have to see the conditions.”

Three debates are currently scheduled between late September and mid-October, as previously agreed upon by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which has sponsored and produced general-election debates since the late 1980s.

There will also be one vice-presidential debate in the beginning of October.

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

The committee announced the dates – Sept. 26, Oct. 9 and Oct. 19 – in Sept. 2015 as well as the locations and format for the 90-minute debates, though Trump said that he successfully renegotiated details over the primary debates that “they were making a fortune on” and could easily do it again.

“I’ll have to see who the moderators are,” said the Republican nominee. “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.”

A CPD official told TIME that they will address concerns “the same way” that they do every election season.

“There are fine points that get negotiated,” the official explained. “If there is a strong preference about the set, that can be discussed.” For example, if the two candidates have vast differences in height, officials would try to find a way to accommodate that in a “respectful” manner, though the announced format is non-negotiable.

Still, there are some major format issues that could change – two debates are scheduled at the same time as NFL games, which could negatively impact viewer numbers, notes Politico. In addition, the committee will consider making room for a third podium on stage, should a candidate like Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson or Green Party nominee Jill Stein come close to the required 15 percent average in national polls.

Sources: TIME, Politico / Photo Credit: Michael Vadon/Flickr