President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off in the first debate of the 2024 presidential election on Thursday in Atlanta.
The first debate in US history between a sitting president and a former president is expected to be a defining moment for the 81-year-old Biden and the 78-year-old Trump, who have faced criticism for their age and differing views on immigration, abortion and the Gaza war.
The debate approach has changed significantly since they last faced off in 2020. Both candidates embraced new rules and a new format, including no studio audience this time around and the requirement that microphones be muted while the other is speaking.
That's not all viewers can expect: Here's everything you need to know about the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
Where can I watch it?
The first debate will take place on Thursday, June 27th at 9pm ET. It will be hosted by CNN from the cable network's studios in Atlanta and will last 90 minutes with only two commercial breaks.
You can watch it live on CNN, Fox News, and ABC, all of which will include full debate coverage and pre- and post-debate analysis. If you don't have cable, you can live stream it on CNN.com, Max, and Hulu, or watch it on YouTube.
Who will moderate the debate?
CNN's Sunday Morning co-hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash Trade Union Statuswill serve as moderator.
Tapper told CNN Jake Tapper's lead Have experience in debate. He moderated the first Republican presidential debate in 2015 and the final Democratic debate between Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2020. His latest series is Scandalous America, The show explores some of the most significant political scandals of the 20th century, and a second season was announced in May.
Tapper, a Dartmouth College graduate and author of several books, previously worked as a senior White House correspondent for ABC News, according to his CNN biography.
Bash, a George Washington University graduate, told CNN Inside Politics with Dana Bash He has also regularly moderated numerous political rallies and debates, including six presidential primary debates in 2016 and two presidential primary debates in 2020.
Author of upcoming book America's deadliest electionBash launched CNN's digital series with “CNN Digital Series,” which chronicled the 1872 presidential election. Washington's Strong Women In 2017, her latest interview series There is…2021.
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What are the rules of the debate?
This week's debate will see some big changes from previous broadcasts agreed to by both Biden and Trump. Here are the changes:
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There are no spectators, so there's no applause or booing to disrupt the conversation.
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Mute your microphone when it is not your turn to speak.
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No pre-written notes are permitted.
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The only props allowed on the podium are a pen, paper, and a bottle of water.
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They will stand behind the podium the entire time, restricting movement, with Biden on the right and Trump on the left.
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There will be no opening statements from either candidate.
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As recently determined by a coin toss, Trump will have the final say in closing statements.
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Will other presidential candidates emerge?
No. To qualify for Thursday's debate, candidates had to appear on the ballot in a certain number of states that qualified them to reach the 270-electoral vote threshold to win the presidential election. They also had to receive at least 15% of the vote in four national polls of registered or likely voters, according to CNN.
Only Biden and Trump met these criteria. Third-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein did not meet these standards.
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How would Tapper and Basch approach this debate?
According to CNN, moderators Tapper and Bash are expected to strictly enforce the rules, using all means to “protect timing and ensure civil debate.”
This comes four years after Tapper and Bash criticized Trump's repeated interruptions during Trump's first debate with Biden in the 2020 presidential election, moderated by ABC's Chris Wallace. At the time, Bash used an expletive to describe the debate on air, and Tapper called it a “total chaos” and “the worst debate I've ever seen.”
“It was chaos, like being in the middle of a dumpster fire, a train wreck.” Jake Tapper Speaking about the first presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden, he said: “We're going to talk about who won the debate, who lost it… one thing is for sure: the American people lost.” #Debate2020 pic.twitter.com/wjMnUmt2WS
— CNN's The Lead (@TheLeadCNN) September 30, 2020
According to The Hill, both hosts were on the receiving end of Trump's verbal abuse at a rally in Philadelphia last week, where Trump called Tapper a “fake Tapper” and mocked the pronunciation of Bash's first name.
Meanwhile, Tapper and Bash, both CNN anchors, are known for regularly fact-checking Trump's statements and commenting on his character. In 2020, Bash criticized Trump's treatment of female reporters, while Tapper called the Trump administration a “nightmare” after Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.
They have also criticized Biden's judgment, including on foreign policy issues: In 2021, Tapper criticized the president's dismissal of an investigation outlining the failure to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while Bash questioned Biden's failure to hold Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for his alleged involvement in the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Are there any other discussions planned?
Yes. The second presidential debate is scheduled for September 10 and will be hosted by ABC News and moderated by the network's David Muir and Lindsey Davis.
It is not yet clear whether there will be an audience at the second debate, but ABC has confirmed it will take place in primetime.
President Trump has said he would like to hold more than two debates, but as of June 23, no date had been set for a third one.
