US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump will face each other in the first presidential debate before the 2024 US elections.
The debate, organized by CNN, will begin tomorrow morning at 04:00 Bulgarian time in Atlanta.
Here are the details:
Only the two main candidates - Biden and Trump - will take part in the debate. Both of their microphones will be muted except when it's their turn to speak.
All of the non-Democratic or Republican candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., failed to qualify for the debates by the June 20 televised deadline. Kennedy failed to meet CNN's voting access and polling requirements.
Candidates had to receive at least 15% support in four national polls and be on electoral rolls in enough states to win 270 Electoral College votes, the threshold for winning the presidency.
The Biden and Trump teams had a shared interest in keeping Kennedy off the debate stage as the independent candidate tries to win the support of their constituents and could ultimately make an impact in the battleground states. The Kennedy campaign has announced it will hold its own "debate" at the same time as the Biden-Trump meeting.
Who will moderate the first presidential debate in 2024?
Moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. The broadcaster said moderators "will use all the tools at their disposal to enforce timekeeping and ensure civilized discussion".
There will be no audience in the studio "to ensure that the candidates can make the most of the time allocated to the debate". It is not clear what the specific topics will be, but certainly border security and migration will be a major focus. The debate will last 90 minutes and will include two commercial breaks.
Officials from both teams are not allowed to contact the candidates during the breaks, CNN reported. This would prevent the president and former president from getting feedback from their aides.
Biden and Trump have agreed to another debate to be hosted by ABC News on September 10.
The vice presidential debate could be held on July 23 or August 13. | BGNES
