A 2024 presidential run between Trump and Biden has in many ways a sense of déjà vu, but organizers of the candidates' first debate this year are hoping to avoid the interrupted noise that characterized their first showdown in 2020 by muting microphones between answers.
CNN, which will host the debate, reinstated the microphone-muting format first implemented by the Commission on Presidential Debates in 2020 after the mayhem that followed the first debate between the two candidates on Sept. 29 in Cleveland, which was marked by frequent interruptions, particularly from then-President Donald Trump.
more:When is the first Trump vs. Biden 2024 presidential debate? Date, moderator, and how to watch
CNN said both candidates agreed to accept a list of debate rules outlined in letters sent to the Biden and Trump campaigns in May, including muting microphones that would only be unmuted when it was each candidate's turn to speak.
This contrasts with the Trump campaign's protests over the muted microphone rule in 2020. In a bipartisan letter to the Chicago Police Department at the time of the format change, Trump's former campaign chairman wrote: Bill Stepien strongly disagreed. He called the new rules “completely unacceptable for someone to exercise that kind of power” and said they “give further editorial control over the debate to a committee that has already demonstrated its partiality for Biden.”
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Prepare to vote:See who's running for president and compare their positions on key issues with our voter guide
This time, both sides embraced the standard without much fanfare: The second and final debate of 2020 featured muted microphones and was noticeably calmer than the first.
The network said hosts Dana Bash and Jake Tapper of CNN would “take every step to ensure punctuality and civil debate.”
Contributor: Joey Garrison, USA Today
Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow at USA TODAY. Contact her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her at X @KathrynPlmr.
