President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will meet in their first scheduled presidential debate on Thursday, June 27 in Atlanta, televised by CNN.
The debates are expected at start at 9 p.m. EDT.
A second debate, hosted by ABC, has been scheduled for Sept. 10.
The debate, which will be hosted by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, will mark the first in-person showdown of the 2024 campaign between Biden and Trump, his predecessor.
Biden had announced that he would not participate in fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades. Biden’s campaign instead proposed that media outlets directly organize the debates between the candidates.
The first debate is so unusually early on the political calendar that neither Biden nor Trump will have formally accepted his party’s nomination.
Here are the rules for the first debate:
— The 90-minute debate will include two commercial breaks, according to the network, and campaign staff may not interact with their candidate during that time.
— Both candidates agreed to appear at a uniform podium, and their podium positions will be determined by a coin flip.
— Microphones will be muted throughout the debate except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak.
— While no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on the stage, candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
— There will be no studio audience, and moderators “will use all tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion,” according to CNN.
— There will be no opening statements from candidates at the start of the debate, but they will be allowed a two-minute closing statement.
— When asked a question, each candidate will have two minutes to respond, which will be followed by one-minute rebuttals and responses to the rebuttals. There will be another minute that can be used at the discretion of the moderators.
— All participating debaters must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting. It’s unlikely independent candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will be able to meet this threshold.
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