The first presidential debate of the 2024 general election is scheduled for Thursday night, pitting presumptive Democratic nominee President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee former President Donald J. Trump against each other in a head-to-head battle for the first time since the 2021 White House handover.
A 90-minute debate between Biden and Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies including falsifying corporate records, may be an unenthusiastic rematch for some voters.
Here are three games to help you get through Thursday night’s presidential debate.
Spicy USA Today Presidential Debate Bingo
USA TODAY’s Presidential Debate Bingo game is supposed to be fun, but there are options to spice up the game a little.
Prepare to vote: See who’s running for president and compare their positions on key issues with our Voter Guide
- Each participant will receive a USA TODAY Bingo card.
- The same number of shot glasses as the number of players are filled with various liquids (hot sauce, pickle juice, alcohol if appropriate for adults, etc.) and numbered.
- The first person to reach Bingo on their card drinks the first shot glass.
- Subsequent bingo callers take shots in the order they called.
- The game ends when all players shout “Bingo”.
If you can’t see or interact with the Debate Bingo cards above, please open them in a new tab and play: Debate Bingo Card 1, Card 2, Card 3, or Card 4.
Discussions and parties are unfair
CNN’s rules for Thursday night’s debate are unique among recent presidential debates, with microphones cut, no studio audience and the moderator able to enforce time limits.
But the debate is unlikely to go smoothly, and there’s a good chance that at least one of the candidates will break the rules. That’s where this game comes in.
For “Debate Foul, Party Foul,” each player must have one sippy drink, one shot drink, and one designated drink that is especially foul (such as hot sauce or maloute).
- If a participant is about to exceed the allotted time, please take a sip.
- When a participant tries to shout into a muted microphone
- When either participant leaves the podium, please finish the drink in front of you.
- If either participant leaves the stage, they will take one of their designated drinks.
Line by line, bite by bite
In this game, knowledge of political cliches is a double-edged sword, dependent on how quickly the player wants to drink.
- Each player chooses a political cliché or expected line, such as “my fellow Americans” or “we the people.”
- Players choose a drink and decide how much of that drink they want to take in one sip.
- Every time a political cliche or expected line is spoken, the player takes a drink.
- The first person to finish their drink wins.
