The stage is set in Atlanta for the first presidential debate of 2024. Former President Trump will meet President Biden and the showdown will look dissimilar to other modern presidential debates in that there will be no live audience in the room.
Here are all the details on the debate this week including everything you need to know to watch it live.
First Presidential Debate
Time: 9 pm ET
TV Channel: CNN, Fox News, ABC, NewsNation
Sponsor: CNN
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Moderators: Jake Tapper, Dana Bash
How can I watch the debate?
The first debate will take place on Thursday, June 27, at 9 p.m. EST. It will be hosted by CNN at the cable network’s studios in Atlanta and will run 90 minutes with only two commercial breaks.
You can watch it live on CNN, Fox News, or ABC, all of which will include full coverage as well as debate analysis before and after. If you don’t have a cable subscription, you can live stream the debate on CNN.com, Max, and Hulu, or watch it on YouTube.
We will carry the debate live stream as well so sign-up for our email subscriptions for an alert when the stream is available.
Who’s moderating the debate?
Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, co-hosts of CNN’s Sunday morning show State of the Union, will serve as moderators.
Which candidates will be on stage?
Biden and Trump are the only presidential candidates who qualified for the debate stage.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to meet the threshold, which required candidates to poll at 15% or higher in four national surveys and appear on enough state ballots that could theoretically push them past the needed 270 Electoral College votes to secure the presidency.
How is this debate different from past debates?
Typically, presidential debates occur in front of a live audience, often in an event space on a college or university campus, and are coordinated by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD.)
But not this year. Both candidates have said they will not participate in the CPD’s previously scheduled and announced debates, lobbying for earlier matchups.
Instead, Biden and Trump will take part in Thursday’s debate on CNN and then a second in September hosted by ABC News.
What are the rules for the debate?
Trump and Biden have agreed to the following rules:
- Microphones will be muted unless a candidate is directed to speak
- Candidates are not allowed to bring prewritten notes or props. They will receive a pen and paper, as well as a bottle of water
- A coin toss determined podium positions and the order of closing statements
According to CNN, Biden’s campaign won the coin toss and chose the podium to the viewers’ right. As a result, the Trump team chose to deliver the final closing statement of the evening.
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