CNN is set to host the first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The highly anticipated event is scheduled for June 27, 2024, airing at 9 p.m. ET from the network’s Atlanta studios without a live audience.
According to CNN, the decision to have no audience present aims to provide the candidates with maximum debate time. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are set to moderate this politically significant event.
Related to this development, President Biden took to the social platform X to share his acceptance of another debate invitation.
This second debate is set for September 10 and will be hosted by ABC. David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the clash. Viewers can catch the live broadcast on ABC News, ABC News Live, and Hulu, and it will also be available for simulcast across various U.S. broadcast and streaming news platforms.
To participate in either debate, candidates must achieve over 15% in four national polls and be included on a sufficient number of state ballots. Consequently, if third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. improves his poll numbers and secures a spot on more state ballots by fall, he could potentially qualify for the debate stage.
A vice-presidential debate is also anticipated before early voting starts in September, with both campaigns showing interest in a face-off between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump’s yet-to-be-announced running mate.
The Biden campaign suggests holding a single vice-presidential debate in late July, following the formal nomination of Trump and his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is advocating for four presidential debates “in addition to the vice-presidential debate.”
CNN Worldwide’s Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson highlighted the network’s significant role in political discourse. “Earlier today, I contacted both President Biden and former President Donald Trump to invite them for a presidential debate on CNN’s platform in Atlanta on June 27,” said Thompson. “We have confirmation from both parties accepting the debate invitation,” he added.
The upcoming debates have sparked interest amidst the campaigning efforts of both Biden and Trump. Biden, in a recent video release, emphasized his readiness to debate Trump, humorously referencing Trump’s aversion to debates following his 2020 election losses and the former president’s ongoing criminal trial. “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, and since then, he hasn’t participated in any debates. Now he’s pretending he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice. So let’s pick the dates, Donald. I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” Biden said, displaying his eagerness to face Trump again. Trump’s trial is not in session on Wednesdays.
The move to organize these debates outside the traditional Commission on Presidential Debates schedule comes as Biden had previously expressed his intent not to participate in the commission’s fall debates, advocating for news organizations to take the lead.
