CNN Hosts First Trump-Biden Debate

CNN is preparing to host a highly anticipated debate between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden, marking their first direct clash in the closely watched race for the White House. The stage will feature only Trump and Biden, as third-party candidates, including independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., did not meet CNN’s strict polling and ballot requirements by the June 20 deadline.

The upcoming debate comes amid heightened campaign activity from Trump, who has been actively holding rallies in battleground states and engaging with donors since the conclusion of his Manhattan hush money trial last month. In contrast, the Biden campaign has intensified its attacks on Trump, highlighting his recent conviction and running a major ad campaign in swing states portraying Trump as a “convicted felon.”

Trump enters the debate following a decline in national polls post-conviction, although polls in critical swing states consistently show him with an advantage over Biden. In the 2020 election, Biden won all battleground states except North Carolina.

Scheduled for 9 p.m. ET, the debate will be moderated by CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. The format includes both candidates standing at podiums, with Biden on the right side of viewers’ screens after winning a coin flip. Trump will have the final closing statement, having won another coin flip. To maintain order, candidates’ microphones will be muted when they’re not speaking, and they are prohibited from interacting with their staff during the two commercial breaks.

To participate, candidates had to meet specific qualifications, including garnering at least 15% support in four separate national CNN-approved polls and qualifying for the ballot in enough states to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Kennedy, lacking the support of a major political party, had to petition for ballot access in most states or be nominated by a lesser-known political party with ballot access. As of the deadline, Kennedy had qualified for the ballot in six states, worth a total of 89 electoral votes, and met the polling threshold in three surveys.

Following this debate, ABC is set to host the next presidential debate on Sept. 10, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis. The decision to hold the debates earlier than usual is a departure from previous election cycles, prompted by the early nomination of Biden and Trump, which resulted in one of the shortest primary seasons in modern history. Additionally, the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized debates since the 1980s, will not be involved this year after both campaigns rejected their proposed schedule to start debates in September.

Trump’s campaign has agreed to the muted-mic rule, a change from his complaints about the protocol during the second debate hosted by NBC in 2020. This rule was implemented after Fox News’ Chris Wallace faced difficulties controlling Trump’s interruptions during the first debate with Biden in 2020.