Trump Considering Not Participating In 2020 General Election Debates

President Donald Trump is considering not participating in the 2020 general election debates, sources tell the New York Times.

Trump has told advisers that he does not trust the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonprofit who has sponsored all general election President and Vice President debates since 1988.

Trump is reportedly less concerned about who he would be facing off against, and more worried about which media personality would act as the debate moderator.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump said he has being disadvantaged against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Her polling went up after each debate, unlike Trump’s.

After one debate in September 2016, Trump complained that a “defective mic” affected his favorability and questioned whether it was done “on purpose.” A technical malfunction had indeed affected the volume of his voice during that debate, and the commission admitted their error.

However, some believe Trump’s idea of not taking to the debate stage is a “bluff.”

“Not doing any would not be strategically smart,” Philippe Reines, a longtime Clinton adviser, told the Times. Reines thinks Trump will “bluff that he won’t do any with the goal of only having to do one.”