First Trump-Biden Debate: Topics, Start Time, How to Watch

The first 2020 Presidential Debate is scheduled to take place next week on Tuesday, September 29. President Donald Trump will meet former Vice President Joe Biden in Cleveland with Fox News Host Chris Wallace as moderator amid a backdrop of a Supreme Court vacancy and continuing fears over Covid-19. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) just moments ago release the list of topics that will be front and center at the first debate and, as expected, replacing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is now on the list.

Here are more details on the first Trump-Biden debate including what time starts, what channels will air the debater, how you can stream the debate, and the format of the topics and questions.

First Presidential Debate

Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Time: 9 pm ET (8 pm CT, 7 pm MT, 6 pm PT)
Live Steam: Watch Debate Live
Location: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Moderator: Chris Wallace, Fox News Host

Live Streaming – Live stream available on Election Central. All the major news networks and social media websites including YouTube and Facebook will offer a free live stream. The debate will be available to stream on YouTube after the debate has aired.

TV Channels – Each debate will be broadcast live on C-SPAN, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as all cable news channels including CNN, Fox News, Fox Business Network, and MSNBC among others.

Start Time – The debates will air from 9 pm to 10:30 pm ET (8 pm – 9:30 pm CT, 7 pm – 8:30 pm MT, 6 pm – 7:30 pm PT)

First Debate Topics

It’s hard to imagine any of these topics not being on the list before this week, but it’s certainly possible that the Supreme Court would’ve received less time had it not been for the death of Justice Gibusrg last week.

Here are the topics which are expected to fill the 90 minutes of debate:

• The Trump and Biden Records
• The Supreme Court
• Covid-19
• The Economy
• Race and Violence in our Cities
• The Integrity of the Election

The format for the first debate calls for six 15-minute time segments dedicated to topics announced in advance in order to encourage deep discussion of the leading issues facing the country.

Announcing topics in advance allows candidates some time to prep for specific issues though it does not disclose specific questions that moderator Chris Wallace may choose to ask. President Trump has a political record spanning only back to 2016, while Joe Biden has a political record that reaches back nearly 50 years of public service.