Biden and Trump Agree on Rules for First TV Debate Without Studio Audience

Biden and Trump Set Rules for First TV Debate

US President Biden and his likely challenger Trump have agreed on rules for their first TV debate on June 27th. Both candidates have decided to forego a studio audience during the 90-minute encounter on the CNN network.

Ahead of the US presidential election in November, President Joe Biden and his presumed challenger Donald Trump have agreed on the rules for their first TV debate at the end of the month. The debate is set to last 90 minutes, as announced by the television network CNN. There will be two moderators on June 27th but no studio audience.

“Both candidates have agreed to appear on a podium,” CNN stated. “Their podium positions will be determined by a coin toss.” It has also been stipulated that only the microphone of the respective speaker will be open at any given time. The other candidate’s microphone will be muted during that period.

According to reports, the candidates will each receive only a pen, a notepad, and a bottle of water. There will be two commercial breaks during the hour and a half-long debate, which will be recorded in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. During these breaks, Biden and Trump are not allowed to have contact with their staff.

TV Debates on June 27th and September 10th

“Some aspects of the debate – including the absence of a studio audience – will deviate from previous debates,” CNN explained. Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will “use all the tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion.” Biden and Trump agreed in May to hold two televised debates. The first will be on June 27th on CNN, with the second on September 10th on ABC.

While Biden and Trump have not formally been nominated as presidential candidates for their parties in the November 5th election, it is considered a mere formality. The 78-year-old Trump has already won the Republican primaries by a large margin, despite them being ongoing. In the still ongoing Democratic primaries, the 81-year-old Biden does not face significant competition.

The Republicans will nominate their presidential candidate at a party convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in mid-July. The Democratic nomination convention will follow in August in Chicago, Illinois. Before the 2020 election that Trump lost to Biden, the two engaged in two TV debates as well. During those debates, they frequently talked over each other.