President Joe Biden and Republican nominee Donald Trump have agreed to participate in two general election debates, one in June and one in September. The first debate, moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, will be held at CNN’s studios in Atlanta on June 27 at 9 pm Eastern time. The second debate, moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, will take place on September 10. The formats of the events and the details of who will moderate are still being worked out.
The first debate will be held before either candidate becomes their party’s official nominee and will cover a wide range of topics including Trump’s criminal hush money trial, Biden’s foreign trips, and the Supreme Court’s term. The second debate will occur before most states begin early voting.
Both campaigns have outlined their preferences for the debates. Biden’s team favors muted microphones and no live audience, while Trump’s team is pushing for more debates and prefers a stand-up format with a live audience. The deal between the campaigns sidelines the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan group that has organized the debates for over three decades.
It remains unclear whether third party candidates will qualify for the debates. However, CNN and ABC have set a threshold of 15% in four national polls for candidates to qualify.
