U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off on Thursday in the CNN Presidential Debate, the first of the 2024 election cycle and more than four months before the November election.
June 27 will mark the first match-up since 2020 featuring either Trump or Biden since neither participated in primary debates this cycle and the first-ever debate between a sitting and former president, according to the Atlanta-based network.
It’s also the first in decades not to be held by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized presidential debates since 1988.
Viewers can tune into the ‘CNN Presidential Debate,’ Thursday, June 27, at 9 pm E.T. on CNN or simulcast on USA Today via YouTube. The debate, hosted by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, will last 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.
The rules and setting of the debate will be different from those that have come before. Notably, no live audience will be present on the Atlanta soundstage, and each candidate’s microphone will be cut off when it’s not their turn to speak.
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Candidates won’t be allowed to talk with their staff during breaks or bring any pre-written notes with them. They’ll be provided only a pen, pad, and water bottle.
No other candidates met all of the criteria set out by CNN to participate in the CNN Presidential Debate, which included that they appear on enough state ballots to be able to win the necessary 270 electoral votes and be polling at or above 15% in four different national polls of registered or likely voters.
The second presidential debate is set for September 10, hosted by ABC News, with David Muir and Linsey Davis serving as moderators, as announced by the network.