President Biden and former President Trump will take the stage Thursday night for their first debate of the 2024 presidential election, an unusually early showdown that for many signals the official start of the summer campaign.
Although many voters believe they already know the two leading candidates well from their respective years in office, Thursday will provide them with an opportunity to discuss their views on the major issues motivating voters, such as the economy, immigration , abortion and foreign policy. The two candidates are tied in the latest presidential polls.
Here's everything you need to know about the debate:
What time
The debate begins Thursday at 6 pm Pacific time. It is scheduled to last 90 minutes. There will be two three-and-a-half-minute ad breaks, during which candidates will not be allowed to speak to their campaign teams, per CNN rules.
how to watch
CNN will broadcast the debate on its main cable channel, as well as on CNN.com, CNN International, CNN Max and CNN en Español. The network will also allow other platforms to simulcast the debate, with most other major news networks expected to air it.
How will it work?
The candidates will face off in the CNN studios in Atlanta, four years after 73 million viewers tuned in to watch the rivals debate in the 2020 election. A coin toss determined that Biden will take the podium to the right of viewers, while Trump will give his final speech after Biden, according to CNN.
The network announced that Biden and Trump's microphones will be muted throughout the night, except when it is time for each candidate to speak, to eliminate cross-talk, of which there was a lot last time. There will also be no audience in the studio. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who failed to qualify for the debate, scheduled a competitive event, also for 6 p.m. Pacific time, on Thursday. He has called it “the real debate.”
