90 minutes without an audience
Biden and Trump set TV duel rules
15.06.2024, 20:40
In May, US President Biden and his challenger and predecessor Donald Trump agreed on two TV debates in the upcoming election campaign. The first will take place on June 27 – without an audience and with strict rules for the microphones to enable a civilized discussion.
US President Joe Biden and his presumed election challenger Donald Trump have agreed on the rules for their first TV debate at the end of the month. The debate will last 90 minutes, according to CNN. There will be two moderators on June 27, but no studio audience.
“Both candidates have agreed to appear on a podium,” CNN reports. “Their podium positions will be determined by a coin toss.” It was also decided that only the microphone of the respective speaker would be open. The microphone of the other would be muted during this time.
Big challenge for the moderators
The candidates will reportedly only receive a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water. During the one-and-a-half-hour duel, which will be recorded in the city of Atlanta in the US state of Georgia, there will be two commercial breaks. During these breaks, Biden and Trump’s staff will not be allowed to interact with them.
“Some aspects of the debate – including the absence of a studio audience – will be a departure from previous debates,” CNN explains. Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will “use every tool 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 take place on June 27 on CNN, the second on September 10 on ABC.
Nomination is a mere formality
Although Biden and Trump have not yet been formally nominated as their parties’ presidential candidates for the November 5 election, their nomination is seen as a formality. Trump, 78, has already won the Republican primaries by a landslide, although these have not yet been concluded. Biden, 81, has no significant competition in the Democratic primaries, which are also still ongoing.
The Republicans will nominate their presidential candidate at a party convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in mid-July, and the Democratic nomination convention will follow in August in Chicago, Illinois. Before the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Biden, the two also had two TV debates. Both repeatedly interrupted each other.