The moment has been four years in the making: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on a debate stage, another flashpoint in their long-running hostilities.
The debate, hosted by CNN at its Atlanta studios starting at 6 p.m. PST Thursday, will occur without an in-person audience and before Trump and Biden formally accept their parties’ nominations this summer, in a dramatic departure from the past.
Where can I watch it?
- The New York Times will stream the debate alongside real-time commentary and analysis from reporters.
- CNN will broadcast or stream the debate on all its platforms, including its flagship cable channel, as well as CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max. The network also plans to stream the debate on CNN.com. You will not have to log in or be a subscriber to watch the stream.
- CNN is also sharing its feed with other broadcast and cable news networks so that they could simulcast the debate. That means you can also watch it on Fox News, ABC News and probably elsewhere.
Will Robert F. Kennedy Jr. be onstage?
No. He failed to meet CNN’s requirements, which means Ross Perot remains the last independent candidate to have qualified for a general election presidential debate — and that was in 1992. For this debate, participants had to receive at least 15% support in four approved national polls and qualify for the ballot in enough states to have the chance to earn the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
Who is moderating the debate?
The moderators will be Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, who are fixtures on the anchor desk at CNN and the hosts of the network’s Sunday political talk show, “State of the Union.” Tapper is CNN’s chief Washington correspondent, and Bash is the network’s chief political correspondent.