Now that we have two presumptive nominees attacking each other at every turn, will they dare to debate?

The assumption among the Washington cognoscenti is that neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump is eager to take the stage with the other.

Top Trump campaign officials attending the Gridiron dinner earlier this month were seated in close proximity to Biden campaign people, prompting this introduction from PBS’s Judy Woodruff, “If you see them in a corner, they’re talking about avoiding a debate and how to blame the other side.”

The former president has said he will debate anywhere, anytime, even implying he would abide by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which has sponsored the debates since 1988. President Biden’s people are non-committal, leaving the door open by not saying yes or no—while they’re skeptical that Trump in the end will agree to debate.

Asked by a reporter as he exited the congenial dinner with Washington insiders if he would take on Trump head-to-head, Biden replied, “Let’s see if he’s serious.” Does he think Trump really wants to debate? “I don’t know what the hell he wants,” Biden said.

Presidential debates have been a feature of modern politics since 1976 when President Gerald Ford agreed to debate challenger Jimmy Carter, who four years later as president felt obligated to debate his challenger, Ronald Reagan. It didn’t go well for either incumbent, a lesson that might be front of mind for the Biden team.

We’ve already seen what a Trump-Biden matchup is like. In 2020, an exasperated Biden called........

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