Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are reportedly at odds over the format of the upcoming Democratic debate.
According to Politico, the concerns around the upcoming debate stem from a private call with CNN on Friday. Both parties reportedly have different views on the format of the debate.
While Sanders wants to stand during the debate, Biden is accused of wanting a sit-down format. Since this debate will be the first one-on-one Biden and Sanders have had, the Sanders campaign has raised multiple concerns suggesting a sit-down format would give Biden “too much of a break in their first one-on-one face-off,” as Politico reports.
Sanders’ senior adviser Jeff Weaver posed a question about Biden not wanting to “stand toe-to-toe” with Sanders.
“Why does Joe Biden not want to stand toe-to-toe with Sen. Sanders on the debate stage March 15 and have an opportunity to defend his record and articulate his vision for the future?” Weaver asked.
However, Biden’s campaign slammed the accusations. Biden’s deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield offered a response to the Sanders campaign, denying the accusations.
“We will participate in whatever debate CNN chooses to stage: standing, sitting, at podiums, or in a town hall,” Bedingfield said. “The problem for the Sanders campaign is not the staging of the debate, but rather, the weakness of Sen. Sanders’ record and ideas.”
According to Biden’s campaign manager, his campaign has “agreed to a modification of that format that CNN proposed, to compromise with both campaigns.”
The latest news follows a string of reports highlighting concerns about Biden’s mental health.
Multiple reports have focused on Biden’s latest gaffes. From forgetting locations and people’s names to moments that have required fact checks, Biden has faced ongoing scrutiny over his mental health.
As previously reported on IJR, Biden’s recent blunders took place at a rally in Houston, Texas. Not only did Biden forget the day of the week referring to Super Tuesday as “Super Thursday,” but he also forgot parts of the Declaration of Independence and referred to it as “the thing.”
Despite mounting concerns, Biden insists he has no major health-related problems. The next Democratic debate is scheduled for March 15 in Phoenix, Ariz.