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Presidential Debates: New Structure for President Biden and Ex-President Trump
With the coming election, Presidential debates are now in the limelight. An unprecedented move has seen President Biden and ex-President Trump opt for a minimum of two debates before the upcoming elections, redefining the orthodox framework of such debates.
When are the Debates Scheduled?
The schedule breaks away from the norm, with the initial debate marked for an earlier date – unfamiliar in typical presidential debate timelines. Furthermore, the commission traditionally tasked with hosting presidential debates since 1988 is not scheduled to oversee either of these events.
First off is a debate slated for June 27, to be held at the CNN studios in Atlanta. At this date, President Biden is expected to have wrapped up the G7 summits in Italy while Mr. Trump’s legal battle in New York over hush money should be over.
The rivals have also set a date for a second debate on September 10, to be hosted by ABC News. Biden’s team is eager for debates to conclude by early September to coincide with the onset of early voting – an unconventional shift from traditional debate calendars that set major-party candidates against each other towards the end of September and October. Such a move is intended to provide more time for voters to assess candidates before early ballot casting and afford nominees time to campaign during the final race stages.
What Makes These Debates Different?
Breaking away from four decades of tradition, both Biden and Trump have agreed to part ways with the Commission on Presidential Debates – an organization tasked with managing such debates. Discontent with the process and the organization have been cited as reasons. The two agreed-upon debates will not involve the commission, previously responsible for setting debates scheduled for 16th September, 1st October, and 9th October.
The June debate, marking the first of the two agreed upon, is set to take place much earlier than usual. Only until the debate is held, both Trump and Biden will be regarded as the presumptive nominees.
Another pointer from the schedule is that Trump, set to formally accept the Republican nomination during the party convention in July, and Biden, who will accept the Democrat nomination at the party’s convention in Chicago in August, will face off before then, suggesting a marked departure from the modern U.S. politics timeline. Presidential debates have traditionally been held post-Labor Day, following major-party conventions.
How will the Debates be Conducted and Who will Moderate?
The debate structure remains a work in progress for the most part. CNN’s June debate will however be conducted without an audience, complying with one of Biden’s team demands who prefer avoiding a live audience who potentially could cheer, boo or distract the conversation.
Trump, known for thriving on his supporters’ reactions, has indicated a preference for an audience, accusing Biden of crowd phobia. His team has also insisted on limiting the debate stage to only Trump and Biden, excluding Robert F. Kennedy, an independent candidate polling in the teens, deemed responsible for splitting support among the major-party candidates. To avoid running over time, the Trump team has also suggested that the network hosting the debate mute the candidates’ microphones when they exceed their allocated time.
Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have been announced as moderators of the CNN debate, while ABC News will have David Muir and Linsey Davis as moderators for their debate.
Will the Debates Actually Take Place?
These debates have been agreed upon by both Biden and Trump. However, the possibility of a debate cancellation cannot be ruled out, as it wouldn’t be unprecedented.
In 2020, the second debate of the three scheduled debates was abandoned after Trump was averse to a virtual debate suggested by the debate commission due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same election cycle, Trump decided to opt-out of Republican primary debates, instead choosing to engage in his own television town halls.
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