RNC votes to withdraw from Commission on Presidential Debates

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The Republican National Committee on Thursday announced it unanimously voted to withdraw from presidential debates sanctioned by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has overseen the process for decades. The RNC additionally will require Republican presidential candidates to sign a pledge that they will only appear at party-sanctioned primary and general election debates. The nonprofit commission, which is run by members of both parties and considers itself nonpartisan, was long a target of former President Donald Trump’s ire. In the run-up to the 2020 election, Trump withdrew from a debate the commission hosted that October after organizers made it virtual following his Covid diagnosis. Responding to the RNC in January, the CPD said in a statement that it "deals directly with candidates for president and vice president who qualify for participation in the CPD’s general election debates." "The CPD’s plans for 2024 will be based on fairness, neutrality and a firm commitment to help the American public learn about the candidates and the issues," the statement continued. In other words, because Trump did not like the debate schedule, the RNC is tucking its tail between its legs and running home crying.