Presidential Debate 2020: Biden Rejects Trump's Request For Earpiece Inspection

President Donald Trump and his campaign team asked former Vice President Joe Biden to allow a third party to inspect each debater for electronic transmitters ahead of Tuesday's first presidential debate between the candidates, but the Democratic challenger's campaign rejected the proposal.

According to a Fox News report, Trump has consented to the additional ground rule, but a source said Biden has declined to undergo an ear check.

The Trump campaign accused Biden’s handlers of “abruptly reversing themselves” after they allegedly agreed to a pre-debate inspection for electronic devices or earpieces. Tim Murtaugh, the president’s campaign spokesman, also slammed the opponent of refusing to take a drug test.

“Joe Biden’s handlers several days ago agreed to a pre-debate inspection for electronic earpieces but today abruptly reversed themselves and declined. Biden’s handlers have asked for multiple breaks during the debate, which President Trump doesn’t need, so we have rejected that request,” Murtaugh said.

“On top of the refusal to take a drug test, it seems pretty obvious that the Biden team is looking for any safety net they can find in the hours leading up to the debate. With his 47 years as a failed Washington politician, how much help does Biden want?”

Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, dismissed the Trump campaign’s request for an inspection as “absurd.” She also denied the claim that Biden repeatedly asked for breaks and fired back at the president’s request for a drug test.

“Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words,” she said. “If the president thinks his best case is made in urine, he can have at it.”

Biden mocked the allegations ahead of the debate on Tuesday evening with a tweet of a photo of "performance enhancers" --- tangled earbuds and ice cream.

Previously, rumors surfaced that Biden used an earpiece during his appearance in a recent town hall. But footage taken from the town hall showed that the former vice president was not wearing an electronic transmitter.

Trump and his campaign team have repeatedly suggested that his Democratic opponent lacked the physical fitness and mental acuity needed to serve as president, as reported by USA Today.