President Biden and Donald Trump are going to debate for the first time in the 2024 presidential election before they officially have the nomination from their political parties.
A second debate is set for Sept. 10, 2024 on ABC.
The Democratic president and his Republican predecessor debated previously leading up to the 2020 election. This will be the first time a sitting president has debated a prior president.
Here is what you need to know about the debate.
When is the presidential debate?
The debate is on Thursday at 9 p.m. on CNN. It is scheduled to last 90 minutes. The candidates will face off in a studio in Atlanta and there will be no audience.
What are the presidential debate rules?
CNN says Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the questioning. Trump and Biden will have their microphones muted except when it is their turn it is to speak, according to the network.
Candidates will be given a pen, a notepad and water but they can not bring any pre-written notes or props.
How will the debate work?
There will be no opening statements from candidates. The debate will begin with introductions and then the first question.
Candidates will have two minutes to respond to questions. The other will have a minute to respond to the answer followed by a response to the rebuttals.
How will candidates know their time is up at the debate?
There will be red lights visible to the candidates. They will flash when they have five seconds left to talk and turn solid red when their time has expired, according to the Washington Post.
Will there be any breaks during the debate?
There are two scheduled commercial breaks during the debate. The rules do not allow the campaign staff to interact with the candidates during the breaks. The exact length of the breaks was not known but traditional TV commercial blocks generally run around three minutes.
How will the debate end?
After the final question is answered, each candidate will be given two minutes to make a closing statement. Trump will go last after Biden won a coin flip to choose which podium position he wanted. Biden chose the right side of the stage.
