CNN
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With less than two weeks until the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, CNN has released additional details about the parameters agreed to by the Trump and Biden campaigns.
The debate, moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta on June 27, will be the first face-to-face showdown between President Joe Biden and his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, in the 2024 campaign. Both candidates accepted CNN’s invitation and agreed to abide by the debate rules and format outlined in a letter CNN sent to their campaigns in May.
The 90-minute debate will include two commercial breaks, during which campaign staff will not be allowed to interact with the candidates, the network said.
Both candidates have agreed to stand on a unified podium, with the podium location to be decided by a coin toss.
During the debate, all microphones will be muted except for the candidate who is speaking, and no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage, although candidates will be provided with pens, notepads and bottles of water.
Some aspects of the debate will be different from past debates, including the lack of a studio audience, but the network said that as always, the hosts will “take every measure to ensure punctuality and civility.”
To qualify for CNN’s debate requirements, candidates must meet the presidential qualifications set out in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump meet that requirement, as do minor-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein.
Contestants are also required to file a formal statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, which all five have done.
All debaters must appear on enough state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidential election and receive at least 15% support in four national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s coverage criteria. Polls that meet these criteria are sponsored by CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, Marquette University Law School, Monmouth University, NBC News, The New York Times/Siena College, NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College, Quinnipiac University, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
While it’s not impossible for Kennedy to do so, it’s unlikely any candidate other than Biden or Trump would meet these conditions.
Kennedy has received at least 15 percent support in three primary polls so far and is currently on the ballot in six states, making him eligible for his 89 electoral votes.
