The ?? ??? ??first presidential debate of the 2016 race is exactly two weeks away, and Donald Trump is already getting punchy.
The Republican presidential nominee said during an interview on CNBC on Monday that the debate will be "rigged" and proposed that the event be held without moderators.
Trump will face off against Hillary Clinton on Sept. 26 in the first of three debates. Moderated by NBC Nightly Newsanchor Lester Holt, the debate is already being eagerly anticipated, with expectations for ratings at Super Bowl levels.
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The presidential debates have had moderators going back decades. The Commission on Presidential Debates -- a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization -- has organized the debates since 1988. Before that, there was no guarantee that the nominees would face off.
Political campaigns often look to lower expectations heading into debates, knowing that if the perception is that they will do poorly, even a mediocre performance will receive plaudits.
Trump's push to delegitimize the debate before it even starts is an easy way to prepare his supporters as well as the broader public for what should be a grueling couple of hours.
The gambit is a bit of a reversal for Trump, who had previously been relatively positive about the announced moderators.
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The moderators for the three debates -- in addition to Holt, Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC will moderate the second debate, Chris Wallace of Fox News will moderate the third -- were announced last week by the Commission on Presidential Debate.
"I like them. I respect the moderators," he said after the announcement.
The race for the presidency has narrowed in recent weeks, according to national pols. Clinton still enjoys a strong lead based on Electoral College projections. FiveThirtyEighthas Clinton with a 71 percent chance, The Upshot puts her at 80 percent.