“Russia if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing”. While Trump is correct that National Football League games do draw big ratings on television in the United States, it isn’t unprecedented for debates to be up against stiff competition in the entertainment department.
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Hillary Clinton’s campaign strategist, Joel Benenson, quipped “Guessing Trump produces National Football League letter he says he got when he lives up to promise to release tax returns”. ‘Cause the debates are gonna be pretty massive, from what I understand, Okay?
The NFL likely won’t suffer too bad from the scheduling conflict, we’re guessing.
The debate schedule was set up last September by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan group with members of both parties.
The first debate, scheduled for Monday Sept. 26, is slated to take place opposite the Atlanta Falcons vs.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, in Denver, Friday, July 29, 2016. October 9, a Sunday, the Giants and Packers are scheduled to play a night game, according to the NFL. And you know what I do?
Because Trump skipped one of the GOP primary debates in January, there has been speculation among media types that he may quibble with the fall debate schedule or even threaten to not show up. It would be safe to say that the Commission on Presidential Debates aren’t big NFL fans (there are a few of them) and thus when scheduling these dates, either didn’t give a second thought about the NFL or figure the NFL won’t negatively factor into the viewership of the debate.
It’s clear why Trump might want to get out of a debate with Clinton.
The commission “did not consult with any political parties or campaigns in making these decisions”, according to a statement issued Saturday. Clinton, with a lifetime in public policy and governance, thus has a substantially improved position to challenge the Republican nominee compared to most of his primary opponents.
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While Trump looks to win over voters in the Hawkeye state, his running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will be campaigning in MI.
