President Biden and former President Trump will take the stage Thursday night for their first debate of the 2024 presidential election, an unusually early meeting that for many marks the official start of the summer campaign.
While many voters feel they already know the two leading candidates well enough from their respective years in office, Thursday will provide them with an opportunity to discuss their positions on the top issues that motivate voters — such as the economy, immigration, abortion and foreign policy . The two candidates are neck and neck in the last presidential election.
Here’s everything you need to know about the debate:
Read more: Whoever wins the Biden-Trump debate, CNN hopes to claim victory
What time
The debate begins Thursday at 6:00 PM Pacific Time. The planned duration is 90 minutes. There will be two 3½-minute ad breaks, during which the candidates will not be allowed to speak to their campaign teams, per CNN rules.
How to watch
CNN will air 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, and most other major news networks are expected to air it.
How it will work
The candidates will face each other at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, four years after 73 million viewers tuned in to watch the rivals’ debate in the 2020 election. A coin flip determined that Biden will stand on the stage to the right of the television viewers , while Trump will make his final statement after Biden, according to CNN.
The network announced that Biden and Trump’s microphones will be muted throughout the evening, except when it’s time for each candidate to speak, to eliminate crosstalk — which was often the case last time. There will also be no studio audience present. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who failed to qualify for the debate, has scheduled a competing event, also Thursday at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, which he called “the real debate.”
Read more: “Will you shut up, man?” The Trump-Biden rematch that no one really wants is almost here
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
