The US Presidential debate that is typically held in September and October comes in early this time on June 27 and will be hosted by CNN. The 90-minute debate will take place between Joe Biden and Donald Trump without the live audience
Joe Biden and Donald Trump will be in a face-off in the first US presidential debate of the 2024 on June 27 in Atlanta. The debate, hosted by CNN, will be the first time either candidate has been on a debate stage since 2020.
The debate comes so early in the general election campaign cycle that neither man will have accepted their party’s formal nomination yet. The election is expected to take place on November 5.
Here’s what you need to know about the debate.
WHAT TIME IS THE DEBATE?
The first 2024 US presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump will take place on Thursday, June 27 at 9 pm ET (Friday, June 28, 6:30 am IST). CNN will host the 90-minute debate at its studios in Atlanta without a live audience. The debate will be moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
WHERE TO WATCH?
You can watch the debate live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Max, and CNN.com without needing a cable login. CNN will share its feed with other broadcast and cable news networks for a simulcast.
Some free options to stream the debate include CNN.com, C-SPAN.org, the C-SPAN Now app, PBS.org, and Plex TV’s NBC News Now channel. Paid streaming services like Sling TV Blue, Hulu With Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo will also carry the debate.
USA Today will stream the debate live on YouTube on Thursday at 9 pm ET. The debate will be available to watch on demand after it concludes.
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WHO IS TAKING PART IN THE DEBATE, WHAT IS THE CRITERIA?
Democratic incumbent Joe Biden will be up against his Republican challenger Donald Trump. They last debated on October 22, 2020, as part of that year’s presidential race.
The criteria to participate is set by US news network CNN, which include having candidate’s name on enough state ballots to reach the Electoral College threshold needed to win the presidency, and having received at least 15% support in four separate national polls of registered and likely voters.
Biden’s campaign had proposed excluding third-party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from the debates outright. Under the debate commission’s rules, Kennedy or other third-party candidates could qualify if they secured ballot access sufficient to claim 270 Electoral Votes and polled at 15% or higher in a selection of national surveys, as per The Associated Press report.
Trump didn’t take part in any of the GOP primary debates, so this is his first time on stage this cycle. Biden didn’t debate any of the Democrats challenging him, either.
WHAT IS THE DEBATE FORMAT?
The 90-minute debate will have two commercial breaks, the CNN said. Biden and Trump have agreed to appear behind the podiums and their microphones will be muted until it’s their turn 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,” the CNN said.
There will be no live audience in order to ensure candidates may maximise the time allotted in the debate.
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WHY IS THE DEBATE EARLY THIS TIME?
Both Trump and Biden said they want to appeal to the American voters before the early-voting period opens. The debate is typically held in September and October after the Republican and Democrat parties have announced their nominees.
Since 1988, the dates for the debate have been set by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a non-profit sponsored by the two major parties. The commission had selected three dates: one in mid-September and two in October.
But last month, the Biden campaign abstained from the traditional schedule and pushed the first debate date to June. It also reduced the number of debates to two.
WHAT ARE THE TOPICS ON THE TABLE?
Although CNN has not shared the topics, but most likely the debate will centre around border security and immigration, abortion rights that excited the Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade.
Foreign policy could be another hot topic that could be debated on amidst the Israel-Gaza war and Russia-Ukraine conflict and competition with China.
Trump’s felony conviction in a case related to a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election; the conviction of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, for his purchase and possession of a gun while he was addicted to crack cocaine; and the US economy could other important topics that could be taken up during the debate, according to a report by CBS.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES IN THE US?
According to a Pew Research Center poll from 2016, around 63% of voters said the presidential debates were very or somewhat helpful in deciding which White House hopeful to cast a ballot for.
But research has shown that debates have little impact on viewers or voters. But some experts have suggested that candidates’ debate performances can impact how favourably they are perceived by voters, which can affect the choices of undecided voters, according to Dustin Carnahan is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
According to Nielsen ratings, two of the three most viewed presidential debates in American history occurred in 2016 (Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton with 84.4 million viewers) and in 2020 (Donald Trump and Joe Biden with 73.1 million viewers).
Presidential debates often dominate news coverage for at least 48 hours, and content across other media platforms are likely to be more political than normal. For example, during the Trump-Clinton debate, around 17 million debate-related posts were shared on X (formerly Twitter).
WHEN WAS THE FIRST TELEVISED DEBATE?
The first televised debates in 1960 took place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Since then, all such events have been held in September or October.
Debates did not take place again until the 1976 election, and from then on, took place in front of live audiences that were instructed to not make noise aside from the beginning and ends of the debate.
WHEN IS THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IN 2024?
Biden and Trump have agreed to one more debate, which will be hosted by ABC News on September 10.
A vice presidential debate could take place either July 23 or August 13.
