By Peter Doocy, Patrick Ward | Fox News
CLEVELAND — President Trump is asking for an additional ground rule ahead of Tuesday night’s first presidential debate between himself and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Fox News has learned that the president’s re-election campaign wants the Biden campaign to allow a third party to inspect the ears of each debater for electronic devices or transmitters. The president has consented to this kind of inspection, but Biden has not, so far, sources said.
NO HANDSHAKES BETWEEN BIDEN AND TRUMP AT DEBATE
Over the last several weeks, the former vice president’s campaign has also requested two breaks — one every 30 minutes — to break up the 90-minute commercial-free program. But that request has been denied by their Trump counterparts, Fox News is told.
A Trump campaign source told Fox News that “our guy doesn’t need breaks. He gives 90-minute speeches all the time.”
Mock debaters stand onstage as preparations take place for the first Presidential debate in the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, in Cleveland. The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to take place Tuesday, Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
And the source says that the negotiations are still on-going for Tuesday’s night’s debate — as well as the remaining two showdowns between Biden and Trump.
Fox News is reaching out to the Commission on Presidential debates – the bipartisan organization that for more than three decades has organized and produced the debates – for a response to the requests from the two campaigns.
The debate – the first of three between Biden and Trump — kicks off at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday and is being hosted by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. The showdown’s being moderated by “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and John Roberts contributed to this report
