The two oldest US presidential candidates in history will face off in Atlanta on June 27 in an unprecedented televised debate, with one candidate blasting his rival as a threat to democracy and the other labelling him as having dementia, despite there being an age difference of just three years.
With less than five months to go until the election on November 5th, national opinion polls show a close race between incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden (81) and the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump (78).
But the rules for Thursday's debate will be a little different than usual, starting with the lack of a live studio audience — a move that could pose problems for both candidates, especially Trump, who draws energy from a raucous audience.
This is just one of many new rules imposed on CNN's debates, along with muted microphones and two commercial breaks during which candidates cannot interact with campaign staff.
With both candidates lacking in practice, it remains to be seen how the candidates will perform without an audience. Trump declined to participate in the 2024 Republican primary debates, but that didn't count against him, as he handily defeated his rivals for the party's nomination. Biden hasn't appeared on a debate stage in nearly four years.
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Trump and Biden will be the only two to appear at the debate — third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not meet CNN's eligibility criteria by a Thursday deadline — and CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will also be in attendance.
Kennedy had more than 15% support in just three of the approved polls and was on the ballot in just six states, according to a CNN tally — not enough to win the presidency.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Sunday that not having a live audience is “an advantage for the American people” and allows the candidates to focus on the issues.
Reuters contributed to this story.
