'Coin Flip, No Pre-Written Notes': Biden, Trump Agree To Rules For First Presidential Poll Debate Of 2024

The 90-minute broadcast will have two commercial breaks during which the campaign staff may not interact with their candidate. 

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are set to face off first presidential election debate of 2024

Source : PTI

Biden and Trump campaigns have agreed to a set of rules laid by broadcaster CNN for the first presidential election debate for this year. The debate will be the first in-person showdown of 2024 between President Joe Biden and his predecessor former President Donald Trump. 

CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the debate in Atlanta on June 27, and both factions have accepted the rules and format of the debate as outlined by the network. 

The 90-minute broadcast will have two commercial breaks during which the campaign staff may not interact with their candidate. 

Both the candidates will appear on a uniform podium and the positions of their podiums will be decided by a coin flip. 

Microphones will remain muted throughout the debate except for the candidate whose turn it will be to speak. No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on the stage but the candidate will be given a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water. 

A significant departure this year from the previous debates will be the absence of a studio audience. But, as in the past, the moderators “will use all tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion,” according to the network.

To meet the qualifications for the debate, candidates must satisfy the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution to serve as the president. Both Biden and Trump fulfil this condition as do Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein, who are running on non-major-party tickets.

A formal statement of candidacy is also required to be filed by the candidate to the Federal Election Commission, which all the five have done.