This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/us/politics/donald-trump-bernie-sanders-debate.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Contemplate a Debate | Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Contemplate a Debate |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Hillary Clinton has declined an invitation to debate Senator Bernie Sanders before the California primary election next month, but he may have found a willing replacement: Donald J. Trump. | Hillary Clinton has declined an invitation to debate Senator Bernie Sanders before the California primary election next month, but he may have found a willing replacement: Donald J. Trump. |
| The idea of a debate between the two men came up on Wednesday when Mr. Trump was appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and Mr. Kimmel said that Mr. Sanders had passed along an invitation to Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Mr. Trump, who opted out of a debate in Iowa in January and decided that he would no longer participate in primary debates after the Republican field narrowed to three candidates, said he would be open to debating Mr. Sanders if the proceeds were donated to charity, although there were conflicting reports about how serious he was. | |
| “If I debated him we would have such high ratings and I think we should take that money and give it to some worthy charity,” Mr. Trump said. “If we paid a nice sum toward a charity, I would love to do that.” | “If I debated him we would have such high ratings and I think we should take that money and give it to some worthy charity,” Mr. Trump said. “If we paid a nice sum toward a charity, I would love to do that.” |
| Mr. Sanders, who faces a big delegate deficit against Mrs. Clinton, was quick to sign on. | Mr. Sanders, who faces a big delegate deficit against Mrs. Clinton, was quick to sign on. |
| “Game on,” he wrote in a post on Twitter. “I look forward to debating Donald Trump in California before the June 7 primary.” | “Game on,” he wrote in a post on Twitter. “I look forward to debating Donald Trump in California before the June 7 primary.” |
| Asked if the offer to debate Mr. Trump was a serious one, Michael Briggs, a spokesman for Mr. Sanders, said it was “real.” | |
| At a press conference in North Dakota on Thursday, Mr. Trump suggested that he was serious about the debate on the condition that the networks would donate $10 million to $15 million of the proceeds to charities that support women’s health causes. | |
| “I’d love to debate Bernie,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s a dream.” | |
| Mr. Trump said that he had already received calls from the networks about hosting a debate with Mr. Sanders and that if something could be agreed upon, he envisioned it taking place in a big arena. | |
| Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Clinton had agreed to another debate before California primary, and last week Fox News extended invitations to both candidates to participate in one. While Mr. Sanders was eager to debate, Mrs. Clinton, who is trying to turn her attention toward Mr. Trump, declined the offer. | |
| An interparty debate between Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders, before the Democratic nomination is wrapped up, would create an unusual spectacle and could leave Mrs. Clinton in the dark as her two rivals soak up the political spotlight. It could also provide Mr. Trump with an opportunity to openly shop himself to Mr. Sanders’s supporters, who he has been hoping will turn to him instead of Mrs. Clinton in a general election. | An interparty debate between Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders, before the Democratic nomination is wrapped up, would create an unusual spectacle and could leave Mrs. Clinton in the dark as her two rivals soak up the political spotlight. It could also provide Mr. Trump with an opportunity to openly shop himself to Mr. Sanders’s supporters, who he has been hoping will turn to him instead of Mrs. Clinton in a general election. |
| It is not clear what network would host the debate, but Fox News has expressed interest in getting Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders on the stage together before. After being rebuffed by Mrs. Clinton to debate on the network, Fox in February discussed such a faceoff. Mr. Trump initially expressed interest but later backed away, citing scheduling reasons. | |
| For Mr. Sanders, a debate with Mr. Trump would provide a burst of publicity ahead of the contest in California, where he is in a tight race with Mrs. Clinton. | For Mr. Sanders, a debate with Mr. Trump would provide a burst of publicity ahead of the contest in California, where he is in a tight race with Mrs. Clinton. |
| Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee told CNN on Thursday that a debate between Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders would be “phenomenal.” | |
| A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee declined to comment. |