GOP Presidential Candidates Debate In Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, WI: Presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre November 10, 2015 -- two weeks after the general election debate schedule was announced by a nonpartisan group. Trump on July 29, 2016, claimed his general election opponent Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party were trying to "rig" two presidential debates in September and October by scheduling them against NFL games.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The first presidential debate -- announced by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates in September of last year -- is just under two months away.

And Republican nominee Donald Trump is pretty mad that it coincides with a "Monday Night Football" game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, NFC teams that went 7-9 and 8-8 last season, respectively.

That puts Atlanta and New Orleans firmly in the middle of the NFL pack -- 14 of the league's 32 teams had better win-loss records last season. Both teams have played one Super Bowl.

Trump blamed his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic Party for "trying to rig the debates" in a tweet Friday night.

As usual, Hillary & the Dems are trying to rig the debates so 2 are up against major NFL games. Same as last time w/ Bernie. Unacceptable! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2016

Both the Saints and Falcons fell to the Carolina Panthers, who made it all the way to the Super Bowl this year.

The second presidential debate, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 9, also coincides with another NFL game. This time, it's between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants.

The Packers went 10-6 while the Giants were 6-10 last year.

Trump's infatuation with TV ratings has been clear since the Republican primaries, when he regularly gloated about his impact on viewership during GOP debates. The Fox News contest he sat out was the second-lowest watched debate of the season.

His acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention beat Clinton's by a margin of 2 million viewers.

--Eder Campuzano

503.221.4344

@edercampuzano

ecampuzano@oregonian.com