The United States President Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to hold two debates before the November election, facing off on television, a crucial rematch for them in their quest to win the White House.
As the debates are approaching, according to reports from various sources including Reuters, here is the relevant information you need to know:
CNN announced earlier this week that the first debate will be broadcast on June 27 on the cable news network, with live streaming from a studio in Atlanta, and no live audience.
The second presidential debate, according to ABC, will take place on September 10 in a studio without an audience.
The CNN debate in June will be moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, while ABC’s debate will be hosted by David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Both CNN and ABC require participating candidates to have a sufficient number of state electoral votes, reaching the threshold of 270 electoral votes, and garner at least a 15% support rate in four nationwide independent polls targeting registered voters or potential voters.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on X that he will meet the criteria to participate in the CNN debate before the deadline of June 20. It is unclear at this stage if he will qualify.
The latest poll by Reuters/Ipsos shows that in a three-way competition with Trump and Biden, 13% of Americans would vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
There are some differences in the debate format between the two sides.
Biden has expressed his desire to participate in these two debates under strict rules, including how to control microphones to reduce interruptions, and allowing only the candidates and moderators present to minimize disruptions.
Meanwhile, Trump has called for more than two debates and insists on a very large venue for an “exciting” atmosphere.
The specific terms have not been disclosed yet.
The U.S. presidential debates often attract tens of millions of viewers and have historically influenced the course of some election campaigns.
Biden’s aides believe that the debates could expose Trump’s inconsistent positions on issues like abortion, potentially harming Trump.
Trump’s aides think Biden is prone to verbal slips, which could amplify voter concerns about the 81-year-old president’s age. By the time of the first debate, Trump will be 78 years old.
A poll released on Monday showed that in six key battleground states, Trump is leading Biden in five of them in a hypothetical head-to-head election.
In 2020, during the election campaign, then-President Trump and Biden engaged in two heated debates.
Following a contentious first debate, in the second debate, moderators said they would mute the microphones of each candidate to allow uninterrupted speaking for the first two minutes of each debate.
Trump told Fox News Digital this week, “Now is the time for debates. Unfortunately, debates have to be held through the office of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is fully controlled by Democrats, and people remember they were caught cheating by controlling the debate audio volume.”
Trump also posted on “TRUTH Social” on Wednesday, “Now is the time for debates, so that he (Biden) can explain his highly destructive open-border policy, the new ridiculous electric vehicle mandate, the subsidies causing severe inflation, high taxes, and his very weak foreign policy that is causing ‘wars everywhere’ to the American people.”
In a video message shared earlier on Wednesday, Biden said, “Donald Trump lost to me in the two debates in 2020, and he has not participated in debates since then. Now, he’s showing up wanting to debate me again, well, I am happy to, buddy, and I’m even willing to debate twice, so pick a day!”
He quipped, “Donald, I hear you have some free time on Wednesday.”
Trump has accepted the proposed debate dates in June and September put forth by Biden and also seeks to have two more debates in July and August.
In a post on “TRUTH Social” on Wednesday, Trump stated that he has agreed to the terms for a showdown on Fox News in October.
There are no signs from the Biden team yet regarding accepting Trump’s invitation for more debates.
Traditionally, there are three presidential debates.
In 2020, Trump tested positive for COVID-19, spent three days in the hospital, and the third debate was canceled as a result. He refused to participate in an online debate.
On Wednesday morning, Biden-Harris campaign team proposed in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates to abandon the commission’s decades-long tradition of organizing three debates and instead switch to two as suggested.
The Biden-Harris campaign team further proposed a solo vice-presidential debate after the Republican National Convention in July.