In a definitive statement on Friday, President Joe Biden confirmed that he will indeed participate in the upcoming debates with former President Donald Trump. Trump had been urging Biden for months to agree to a debate, even going so far as to offer a spontaneous debate "tonight." However, Biden has now expressed his willingness to engage in a face-off with his predecessor.

Trump, during a press conference outside the Manhattan criminal court, expressed his satisfaction with Biden's acceptance, proposing to hold the debates at the White House for maximum comfort. The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan organization responsible for coordinating debates since the 1980s, had already announced the dates for the debates last November.

The first presidential debate is scheduled to take place on September 16, followed by the second on October 1, and the third on October 9. Trump and his campaign had previously requested the commission to adjust the debate schedule by adding more debates to accommodate early voters.

After a feud with the commission over the handling of the 2020 presidential debates, Trump's campaign had criticized their decision to mute candidates' microphones during portions when they were not speaking, particularly when Trump had interrupted Biden. They also accused moderator Chris Wallace of bias for attempting to prevent Trump from interrupting and disagreed with the commission's decision to hold a virtual debate due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, Trump has agreed to participate in the debates, thereby finalizing the debate schedule as determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The debates are expected to provide an opportunity for the two candidates to present their positions and engage with each other on critical issues facing the nation.

With the dates set and both candidates committed to participating, the stage is now set for potentially heated, informative, and pivotal debates leading up to the 2020 presidential election.