The opening debate of the 2024 presidential election is fast approaching, and it will be unlike anything in U.S. history. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be in the same room on Thursday, June 27, for the first time since their last debate on October 22, 2020. The debate comes after an unusually short primary period, as neither candidate saw any significant threat to their party's nomination. It also comes as the polls are starting to close, with FiveThirtyEight polls showing Biden ahead of Trump for the first time this term, though Trump maintains a slim lead in many battleground states. Thursday's debate, hosted by CNN, will not only be a must-watch for any informed voter, but will be a unique and historic event that could reshape future presidential campaigns. Here's why: No Spectators For the first time since the first presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960, there will be no spectators at the Biden-Trump debate. Audiences, mostly made up of local residents, have been a staple of presidential debates for years. Participants are instructed to remain friendly and not interrupt the candidates, but can still add to the energy of the event. However, the debate will only feature Trump, Biden, hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, and limited campaign and production staff on Thursday night. Commission on Presidential Debates excluded This will be the first presidential debate since 1988 that is not sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Both the Biden and Trump campaigns have challenged some of the CPD's rules and the schedule set by the organization. Instead, the two campaigns have signed on to participate in two debates sponsored by the two news networks: CNN's Thursday debate and ABC News' Sept. 10 debate. The break with tradition has created a new blueprint for debates and called into question the effectiveness of the CPD. Another new and interesting twist to the debate is the reintroduction of the muting feature for candidates' microphones. This means that the microphones of candidates whose turn it is not to speak will be muted, while candidates who are prompted will be able to speak freely without being interrupted. According to a report by Open to Debate, in the first 2020 debate between Biden and Trump, there were 76 interruptions between the candidates. In the previous second debate, where the microphones were muted, there were only four interruptions. CNN is hoping that this will have a similar outcome to the second debate. Fastest debate in history This debate will be the fastest ever in a presidential election year. And it's pretty fast. The previous record was September 21 in 1980. In every election before 2024, the first debate has been held in September or October. June 27 is a big break from that tradition. It will be interesting to see how this earlier date affects the polls and, more importantly, the final results in November. This will be the first ever debate between a sitting president and a former president, pitting the two oldest candidates in U.S. history against each other.
The opening debate of the 2024 presidential campaign is fast approaching and it will be unlike any other in American history.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be in the same room on Thursday, June 27, for the first time since their last debate on October 22, 2020. This was an unusually short primary season, as neither candidate faced a significant threat to their party's nomination. And polls are starting to close, with Biden leading Trump for the first time this term in a FiveThirtyEight poll, though Trump maintains a slight lead in many battleground states.
Thursday's debate, hosted by CNN, will not only be must-watch for all informed voters, but will also be a unique, historic event that could reshape the future of the presidential campaign.
Here are some reasons why:
No spectators
For the first time since the first presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960, the Biden-Trump debate will be without an audience.
Audiences, mostly local residents, have been a fixture of presidential debates for years, and while participants are instructed to stay civil and not interrupt the candidates, they can still add to the energy of the debate.
But only Trump, Biden, hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, along with a limited number of campaign and production staff, will be in attendance for the debate on Thursday night.
The Commission on Presidential Debates is excluded.
This will be the first presidential debate since 1988 that is not hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
Both the Biden and Trump campaigns challenged some of the Chicago Police Department's rules and schedules, but in exchange, the two campaigns struck deals to participate in two debates hosted by the two news networks: CNN's Thursday debate and ABC News' Sept. 10 debate.
This break from tradition has created a new blueprint for debate and has called into question the effectiveness of CPD.
Microphone Mute
Another new and interesting aspect of the debates is the return of the ability to mute candidates' microphones, meaning that candidates who are not scheduled to speak will have their microphones muted, while candidates who have been invited to speak will be free to speak without fear of being interrupted.
According to a report from Open to Debate, during Biden and Trump's first 2020 debate, there were 76 interruptions between the candidates. During the second debate, which also included muting microphones, there were just four interruptions.
CNN is hoping for a similar outcome to the second debate.
The oldest debate in history
The debate will be the earliest ever to take place in a presidential election year — and pretty early: The previous record was September 21, 1980.
In elections prior to 2024, the first debate has usually been held in September or October. June 27 would be a major departure from that tradition.
It will be interesting to see how the earlier election date affects the polls and, more importantly, the final outcome in November.
Historic showdown
This will be the first debate between a sitting president and a former president, and it will also feature the oldest candidates in US history facing off against each other.
