What are the rules for the upcoming presidential debate between Trump and Biden?
Updated: June 21, 2024, 7:55 PM ET
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will take center stage in the first presidential debate on Thursday, but there are some unusual things about this debate. It will take place before the Democratic and Republican conventions, before Biden or Trump are formally nominated as their respective party's candidates, and without the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has long overseen the field and set the rules for these debates. Katherine Brownell is an associate professor of history at Purdue University. She specializes in the relationship between the media and the American presidency. Professor Brownell, it's a real honor to have you here. Thank you so much for having me. Of course. So let's go back to the first presidential debate. What was the focus and goal of that first debate? The first presidential debate took place in 1960 between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. And the difference in their appearances greatly affected the interpretation of that election. The reason John F. Kennedy won the 1960 election has nothing to do with the TV debates.But Richard Nixon and his political consultants and media advisors argued that the debates and Nixon's poor presentation actually cost him the election because they damaged his image. So after these debates, the effort to control the image on television became a political priority, fast forward to now, not just to control the image, but to control the narrative that came out of it. And that's exactly what happened. This is a historic development after the 1976 election. There was a moment when Gerald Ford talked about Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, which wasn't an immediately defining moment. But Carter's media team latched onto it and really introduced the idea that winning the narrative was more important. Um, do you think people are taking the results of the debates as a key criterion for how they should vote, or are there a lot of people who are watching the debates who already have their minds made up? Research shows that people are pretty set in their political views, and they watch TV to cheer on a candidate or heckle their opponent. So the debates are unlikely to change people's minds. However. JR, I think debates are important events in campaigns because they allow the candidates to have a dialogue with each other. It creates a kind of national experience where everybody is watching the same dialogue at the same time. That said, with social media these days, you don't have the spin rooms that are done after the debate. It's happening in real time. So I think this effort to have a shared experience can be somewhat undermined because it's also happening on social media. And people are getting specific information in real time. How has that changed this whole game from the 1960s, when there was no social media? Well, I think it allows more people to participate in the conversation. Right? So it's not like someone is saying this was important in a particular campaign, but you actually have people who are able to bring attention to certain issues that resonate with them. So I think it broadens the participation and allows more people to shape that this is something that matters to them. But each of these candidates has their own platform. And I'm curious if you think these moderated, official debates are even more important if they can create their own content, and they're doing that every day. I think these are very important.Still, many people who support Biden may not have actually seen what Trump is saying on a completely different platform, and vice versa. So I think this is an opportunity for supporters on each side to hear what the other candidate is saying.
What are the rules for the upcoming presidential debate between Trump and Biden?
Updated: June 21, 2024, 7:55 PM EDT
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set for a historic showdown, setting the stage for CNN's June 27 presidential debate. The showdown will go down in history as the first debate between a sitting president and a former president. It will also be the first since 2020 to feature Biden, who was not in a serious contest for the Democratic nomination, and Trump, who skipped debates during the Republican primary. The debate could be a defining moment in a presidential election that has taken shape earlier than usual and features two well-known candidates facing off against each other. A key difference between the two Biden-Trump debates in 2020, both of which were hosted by universities, is that the June 27 showdown will not have a studio audience. Qualification slots for the debate closed at 12:00:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, with Biden and Trump meeting the constitutional, voting eligibility and polling standards set by the networks. CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the 90-minute debate in Atlanta. Both candidates accepted the networks' invitation and agreed to accept the debate rules and format outlined in a letter the networks sent to the campaigns in May. Debate Rules According to the networks, the debate will include two commercial breaks during which campaign staff will not be allowed to interact with the candidates. Both candidates will agree to stand at a unified podium, with the podium location determined by a coin toss. During the debate, microphones will be muted except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage, but candidates will be provided with pens, notepads, and bottles of water.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set for a historic showdown, setting the stage for CNN's June 27 presidential debate.
The showdown will make history as the first debate between a sitting president and a former president, and the first since 2020 featuring either Biden, who did not face a serious challenge in the Democratic nomination race, or Trump, who skipped debates during the Republican primary.
The debate is taking shape earlier than usual and could be a defining moment in a presidential election featuring two high-profile candidates.
Both of the two Biden vs. Trump debates in 2020 were hosted by universities, but a big difference with this one is that the June 27 debate will not have a studio audience.
The deadline for debate eligibility ended at 12:00:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, with both Biden and Trump meeting the constitutional, voting eligibility and polling standards set by the networks.
CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the 90-minute debate in Atlanta. Both candidates accepted the network's invitation and agreed to abide by the debate rules and format outlined in a letter the network sent to the campaigns in May.
Rules of debate
The network said the debate will include two commercial breaks during which campaign staff will not be allowed to interact with the candidates.
Both candidates have agreed to stand on a unified podium, with the podium location to be determined by a coin toss.
During the debate, microphones will be muted except for the candidate speaking.
No props or pre-written notes are permitted on stage, but candidates are provided with a pen, notepad and water bottle.
