The 2024 general election campaign kicks off in earnest tonight, when President Biden and former President Donald Trump meet for the first of two scheduled debates.
Here is everything you need to know.
When and where is the debate?
The 90-minute showdown will be hosted by CNN at their Atlanta studios. The debate is scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET, and include two commercial breaks, according to the network.
How can I watch it?
The debate will air on CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNN International, CNN Max, and HLN, and can be streamed live without a cable login on CNN.com, CNN-connected TVs and mobile apps.
The debate will also be simulcast by several other networks, including ABC News, CBS News, C-SPAN, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NBC News, Newsmax, NewsNation, Noticias Telemundo, OAN, PBS, Scripps News, and Spectrum News.
Beginning Friday, the debate will be available On Demand to paid TV subscribers on CNN.com, CNN apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.
Who will be moderating?
“State of the Union” co-hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be moderating the debate, asking the candidates questions on a range of topics.
This is the first time either Tapper, 55, or Bash, 53, have moderated a general election debate. Past CNN personalities to do so have included Bernard Shaw (1988 second debate, 2000 VP debate), Candy Crowley (2012 second debate), and Anderson Cooper (2016 second debate, co-moderated with Martha Raddatz of ABC News).
What are the debate rules and format?
Biden’s campaign presented a list of demands at the outset of their negotiations with Trump’s team about the potential of having debates outside the purview of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which had organized every general election forum since 1988.
Trump quickly agreed to the demands, which included no studio audience and candidate microphones being cut when their time to speak runs out.
The candidates will not be allowed any prepared notes on stage, nor will they be permitted to consult their campaigns during the breaks, and they will be provided a pad of paper and pen along with a bottle of water.
A coin toss determined that Biden will stand at the podium on the right as TV viewers see the debate stage.
As a result of the same flip, the Trump campaign got to choose the order of closing statements, meaning the former president will get the last word.
How did the candidates qualify?
Both Biden and Trump made the CNN debate by meeting minimum polling and ballot benchmarks.
The network required candidates to be on enough state ballots to reach 270 electoral votes and attain “at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting.”
Third-party candidates, including independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., independent Cornel West and Green Party’s Jill Stein, did not meet the requirements.
Kennedy was closest, but fell short of getting on enough ballots to meet the 270 electoral votes threshold.
How did the candidates prepare?
Biden has spent the last week at Camp David getting ready for the debate, with his top aides advising him in private at the presidential retreat in western Maryland.
The New York Times reported Monday that the preparations included transforming an on-site airplane hanger and movie theater to mimic a debate stage and enlisting top allies — including former White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Biden personal attorney Bob Bauer — to help put the president through his paces, with Biden taking the role of Trump in practice sessions.
Trump’s team told The Post this week he had opted for “policy discussions” in lieu of full-fledged debate rehearsals.
Those advising the 45th president have included Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), former Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Tom Homan, ex-White House officials Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway and former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, Politico reported.
Who will be at the debate supporting the candidates?
Since there will be no studio audience, the candidates’ supporters and closest allies will likely join them afterward in the spin room.
Biden will be accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, while Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), rumored to be one of the top contenders to be Trump’s VP, will also be there to support the former president.
Other running mate contenders will attend a debate watch party in Atlanta hosted by the Republican National Committee and millionaire former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and her husband Jeff Sprecher.
Among those rumored to be on Trump’s VP shortlist are Rubio, Vance, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — all of whom are scheduled to be at the watch party, according to an invite obtained by The Post.
The Biden campaign has also trotted out several surrogates to attack Trump’s record leading up to the debate, among them former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), ex-Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, and Sen. Jon Ossoff, (D-Ga.).
