Sept. 30 (UPI) — The organization that sets the procedures for presidential debates announced Wednesday that it plans to re-structure the events going forward after the chaos and verbal sparring of the night before.
The Commission on Presidential Debates works with campaigns to determine the rules and topics of each of the general election debates. The organization said that after Tuesday night’s chaos, the format for the second two debates would need further consideration.
“The Commission on Presidential Debates sponsors televised debates for the benefit of the American electorate,” the organization said. “Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues. The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly.”
The moderator for the night’s debate, Fox News host Chris Wallace, faced criticism from spectators who said he didn’t do enough to rein in the participants — President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The CPD praised Wallace, though, for doing what he could.
“The Commission is grateful to Chris Wallace for the professionalism and skill he brought to last night’s debate and intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates,” the organization said.
Trump frequently interrupted and spoke over Biden, who at one point told the president to “shut up.” Few issues were discussed at enough length to give viewers an idea of where each candidate stood.
