Howard Kurtz on idea of Biden ditching debates: ‘Heads would have exploded’ if Trump skipped in 2016

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Some in the media have raised the idea of pushing off presidential debates as a mechanism to keep Democrat Joe Biden out of the spotlight, Fox News “MediaBuzz” host Howard Kurtz told “Fox News Rundown.”

But Kurtz said this tactic is “hypocrisy” and displays double standards between the two parties.

“A number of media liberals, including Elizabeth Drew and Thomas Friedman, both writing in The New York Times, have suddenly decided that presidential debates are so silly and pointless and superficial,” he said on the daily podcast.

“And I think there are some who feel like Biden is ahead in the campaign. They'd love for him not to have to risk it all with a poor debate performance or two.”

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“To me, that's hypocrisy," Kurtz added. "If Donald Trump had blown off the debates in 2016, many of these people, their heads would have exploded,” he said.

On the other hand, Trump is pushing to add more debates and even move them up to earlier dates due to the mail-in voting surge.

Regardless, Kurtz said he believes the debates will in fact happen, but Biden’s lack of preparation and exposure to the press will make him “rusty.”

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, July 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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“The press needs to be much more concerned about Biden's lack of access,” he said.

“And there I think a little bit of bias is showing. There should be a drumbeat every day that Joe Biden… should get out there and answer questions. And by the way, if Biden doesn't do more of that, he may be a little rusty when it comes time for the actual debates.”

Kurtz said even though Trump may make mistakes while speaking to the media, he’s still gaining the exposure Biden lacks.

Trump is also at an advantage with his “giant bully pulpit,” he said, which Biden will not have without access to large rallies.

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“The twist here is that Biden people like it that way because they think the president is often hurting himself and they're adopting this low key strategy,” he said.

“All of which means these three debates, even if they're just in studios with no audience, are going to be probably even more crucial than usual for that small minority of Americans who haven't already made up their minds about this presidential race."