The host of the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election season has released new details about the rules of what could be the most consequential political event of the year with less than two weeks until the big showdown.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off for the first time since 2020 in Atlanta on June 27.
According to the network, both candidates agreed to appear on a uniform podium. Their positions on the podium will be determined by tossing a coin.
In a new move since the two met face-to-face during the last presidential election, microphones will be muted throughout the debate, except when it is a candidate’s turn to speak.
Additionally, no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage, but candidates will be provided with a pen, a notebook, and a bottle of water.
The decision to mute microphones comes after the 2020 presidential debates went off course at times and Trump spoke over Biden to the point that moderates in the past had to intervene unsuccessfully.
CNN releases details about the rules for its debate in Atlanta on June 27, including muting microphones when it is not a candidate’s turn to speak and not allowing props.
The debate in the battleground state is the first of two presidential debates that will take place before the November election.
The 90-minute debate in Atlanta will include two commercial breaks during which Biden and Trump will not be able to interact with their staff.
CNN previously revealed it would be moderated by hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
The two veteran hosts will have their work cut out for them as they try to keep hostile candidates on track, as Trump and Biden have lashed out ahead of the highly anticipated event.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden at their second debate on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, TN
According to CNN, Tapper and Bash will also “use every tool at their disposal to enforce timelines and ensure a civil discussion.”
It remains to be seen how successful those efforts will be.
Trump and Biden have been launching constant and sometimes extreme attacks on each other since the start of the campaign season.
The former president has a habit of mocking Biden during his campaign rallies and pretending to be confused while imitating the president at the podium. He has demanded drug testing before the debate.
Biden has also taken aim at Trump over his criminal conviction, criminal charges and the attack on the US Capitol.
Trump had been placing a debate podium on stage at his rallies for Biden and his campaign had been printing a series of Truth Social posts challenging Biden to debate before Biden released his own video.
Biden released a video announcing that he would debate Trump. He said ‘make me a friend of the day, I’ll even do it twice’ and challenged the former president ‘let’s pick the dates, Donald’
While Biden and Trump are presumptive party presidential candidates, it does not appear that third-party candidates will qualify for the debate stage.
To meet CNN’s requirements, candidates must appear on a necessary number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency and receive at least 15 percent in four separate national polls with standards outlined by the network. .
The move would appear to keep independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. off the stage on June 27.
While Kennedy is working to appear on the ballot in all 50 states, he has only officially appeared on the ballot in just over a handful of states to date, but claims he has collected enough signatures to appear on the ballot in further.
It also appears to be just shy of the necessary voting requirement.
Based on the requirements outlined, it does not appear that independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. will make it to the debate stage on June 27.
Trump and Biden have been promoting the long-awaited event during their appearances and their campaigns have been targeting the showdown.
Biden’s team has said the president is willing to criticize his predecessor on issues such as abortion rights, which have galvanized Democrats, as well as highlight Trump’s agenda.
Trump’s campaign has regularly ignored questions about debate preparation and his aides have pointed to his regular appearances for more than an hour at a time speaking at rallies.
For his part, Trump has regularly brought up the looming debate while attacking CNN to his loyal supporters. He has raised questions about whether the debate will be fair.
While his attacks on the debate host and his opponent may help Trump discredit the outcome before it even takes place, some of his Republican supporters have expressed concern that Trump’s attacks on Biden’s performance could put the too low a bar for the president when he appears in Atlanta.
Both the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to participate in the CNN debate last month. ABC News will host the other presidential debate in September.