The Commission on Presidential Debates said 'additional tools' are needed to 'ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.'
The Commission on Presidential Debates on Wednesday announced it is looking into either changing the rules or the structure of the next debate, after Donald Trump repeatedly interrupted, yelled, and lied in his first match-up with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
"Last night's debate made clear additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues," the commission said in a statement, adding that it is "considering the changes" and will "announce those measures shortly."
Trump's interruptions at Tuesday night's first debate were so bad that moderator Chris Wallace reprimanded Trump halfway into the event.
Wallace — who lost control of the debate at multiple points — told Trump, "The country would be better served if we allowed both people to speak with fewer interruptions."
"I'm appealing to you, sir, to do that," Wallace said, adding that he was directing his comments at Trump because Trump had been "doing more interrupting."
Biden was also visibly frustrated with Trump's incessant interrupting, telling Trump to "shut up, man" and sarcastically saying Trump should "keep yapping" — culminating in Biden calling Trump a "clown."
It's unclear what the additional "tools" the commission — which was established in 1987 to make sure debates "are a permanent part of the electoral process" — will use to make the next debates better.
Two debates remain, including a town hall-style debate on Oct. 15, where voters get to pose questions to the nominees.
The first debate was a disaster for Trump, with polls showing voters were annoyed by it and deemed Biden the winner.
Trump cannot afford to have more bad debates. He is currently behind in the polls, and time is running short for him to change that trajectory — as nearly 2 million people have already cast their ballots across the country, according to data from election expert Michael McDonald.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
