President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to participate in the first candidate debate of the 2024 cycle, marking the first time in history an incumbent will face off against a former president on the debate stage.
The matchup marks the first time either candidate will take the debate stage in the 2024 cycle, as Biden did not face a serious challenge for the Democratic nomination, and Trump did not participate in the GOP primary debates. The debate is also the first time the two candidates will face off against each other since the 2020 election.
Here is everything you need to know about the historic matchup:
The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday at CNN’s studio in Atlanta.
The debate will be aired on CNN and available for viewing on CNN.com for those who do not have cable television. The program will also be aired on other broadcast and cable news networks.
The debate will be hosted by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, chief Washington correspondent for the outlet and host of The Lead With Jake Tapper, and Dana Bash, CNN’s chief political correspondent and anchor of Inside Politics.
Biden and Trump met all of the qualifications for the first debate, which included requirements mandated by law and those implemented by CNN.
To qualify for the debate, both candidates must meet the constitutional requirements for presidential eligibility, meaning they must be natural-born citizens of the United States, have lived in the country for at least 14 years, and be 35 years old or older. They must also register their candidacy with the Federal Election Commission to participate.
For CNN’s debate, the outlet requires candidates to receive at least 15% of votes in four national polls conducted among registered or likely voters. Additionally, candidates must be on the ballot in a sufficient number of states that would allow them to win at least 270 electoral votes, the number required to win the election.
Those requirements were not met by independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who will be barred from taking the debate stage.
To participate in the debate, candidates must agree to the rules and format.
For Thursday night’s debate, candidates will not be permitted to use props or written notes throughout the event. Both candidates will be given only a pen, notepad, and a bottle of water to have with them onstage.
Microphones will be muted throughout the debate except for when candidates are given time to speak, a rule aimed at minimizing interruptions similar to the ones that threatened to disrupt debates during the 2020 cycle.
There will not be a live audience for the debate, which is unlike previous presidential debates. Audiences are usually instructed to remain quiet throughout the debate, although that rule has not been followed in recent years as audience members have engaged in cheering and interrupting candidates’ answers.
The debate is scheduled to last 90 minutes and will include two commercial breaks.
Specific topics have not yet been announced, but there are a slew of topics expected to be discussed.
The economy is likely to dominate much of the conversation as it has in previous election cycles. Trump is expected to hammer Biden on it, targeting the president over record-high inflation throughout his administration that he says is caused by the president’s “Bidenomics.”
It is likely the two candidates may also face questions about their age and whether they are able to serve another four years in office. Biden is 81 years old, making him the oldest president to serve in U.S. history. If reelected, he would be 86 by the end of his second term.
Trump is 78, which would make him the second-oldest president in history if elected. He would be 82 by the end of his second term.
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Trump may also face questions about his legal troubles, especially after being convicted on 34 criminal charges in New York last month. Those charges mark the first time a former president has been convicted in U.S. history. Meanwhile, Biden could be asked about the conviction of his son, Hunter Biden, on felony gun charges in Delaware earlier this month.
Other topics that will be top of mind include immigration, border security, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, crime, and abortion.