2024's First Presidential Debate - Discussion Thread

[David Ward 9,613]

The first general election debate of the 2024 election season is here, and it’s a historic moment no matter what happens on stage.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are taking part in Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta. Not only is it the first-ever matchup between a sitting president and a former one, but it’s also the first debate for either candidate in this year’s election. And it’s happening so early in the general election campaign cycle that neither man will have accepted their party’s formal nomination yet.

WHEN TO WATCH:

The debate will start at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. It’s being moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

WHERE IS THE DEBATE:

The setting for the first general election debate is CNN’s studios in Atlanta. Unlike the Republican primary debates, no audience will be present.

Once a Republican stronghold, Georgia was a pivotal battleground in 2020. Both parties are preparing for another closely contested race in the state this year. Trump also faces an indictment in Georgia for his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Biden’s victory based on false or unproven theories of voter fraud.

WHICH CANDIDATES WILL BE ON STAGE:

Two candidates — Biden and Trump — will be on stage. For a time, it seemed like they wouldn’t be meeting up at all.

Biden’s campaign had proposed excluding third-party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from the debates outright. Under the debate commission’s rules, Kennedy or other third-party candidates could qualify if they secured ballot access sufficient to claim 270 Electoral Votes and polled at 15% or higher in a selection of national surveys.

HOW TO WATCH:

CNN is carrying the debate live on its broadcast network, as well as on CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max. Viewers can also stream it without a log in on CNN’s website. Several networks have also agreed to carry the event live. 

** FREE LIVE STREAM LINK: https://www.livenewsmag.com/livecnn/

 

https://apnews.com/article/debatehowtowatch-biden-trump-ff14d6659b6ba50e8456d35035222e85

[BillieGOAT 5,272]

Having a watch party! Cannot wait

If we’re going to live in a dystopian hellscape where our politicians fail us 100% of the time.. at least we get some good entertainment out of it

[Fatigay 21,211]

1 minute ago, BillieGOAT said:

Having a watch party! Cannot wait

If we’re going to live in a dystopian hellscape where our politicians fail us 100% of the time.. at least we get some good entertainment out of it

Can’t wait for the first ever Reaping next year, I’ll be rooting for the District 4 tributes.

[Stephen 30,433]

I can't stand to listen to that convicted felon

I'll watch some clips if anything crazy happens

[Roughhouse Dandy 13,699]

I don't care if they have to hook Biden's nips up to a car battery and replace his blood with liquid cocaine. He better show up and show out. 

[River 127,751]

2 f-cking boomers debating how to f-ck up the millennials and gen z even further

[PunkTheFunk 125,719]

They just released a sneak preview of the debate:

 

[HelloHangoverz 17,452]

british elections are happening rn and i get so excited to watch the debates. then I get annoyed and turn them off after 10 minutes lmao. lots of questions w no real answers of subtance, just style, rhetoric and theatre. 

[River 127,751]

2 minutes ago, HelloHangoverz said:

british elections are happening rn and i get so excited to watch the debates. then I get annoyed and turn them off after 10 minutes lmao. lots of questions w no real answers of subtance, just style, rhetoric and theatre. 

It's a cheap reality show

[HelloHangoverz 17,452]

1 minute ago, River said:

It's a cheap reality show

with the mediator constantly stuttering trying to get a word in edge ways too, it stresses me out  it would be tolerable if they were given a set time to speak, like a minute or something, after which the mic is cut. would save all the talking over one another and make it civilized

[PunkTheFunk 125,719]

13 minutes ago, River said:

2 f-cking boomers debating how to f-ck up the millennials and gen z even further

Biden is so old he isn't even a boomer...he's the Silent Generation 

[PartySick 172,975]

Trump makes me mad, Biden embarrasses me

I won't be watching

I'm sure Biden will do well enough though since the right, Trump, and Fox have already started making excuses for Trump performing poorly

[Nemo 4,411]

I feel obligated to watch but I'm dreading it.

[Pandauralife 996]

3 hours ago, David Ward said:

The first general election debate of the 2024 election season is here, and it’s a prehistoric moment no matter what happens on stage.

 

Fixedt 🦕 🦖 

[RAMROD 117,255]

Thursday's debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will give voters their first glimpse of the two candidates together in four years. 

As is often the case, the moderators and the ground rules will likely shape the debate's outcome. And the ground rules for this debate, the first of two scheduled meetings, are unusual.

It's worth noting that the candidates are bypassing the traditional structure determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates and instead relying on a set of mutually agreed rules and conditions.
 

Biden and Trump will debate at a CNN studio in Atlanta with no audience. There will be no opening statements. Each candidate's microphone will be muted except when it's his turn to speak. No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage. The candidates will be given only a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.

A coin flip determined that Trump would deliver the final closing statement.

The event will be moderated by CNN's Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, two well-respected anchors who have not been shy about calling out Trump's lies and conspiracy theories.

Candidates will have two minutes to answer questions and one minute for responses and rebuttals. At the moderators' discretion, there may be an additional minute for follow-ups, clarifications or responses.

Attached to the cameras in the studio and in the candidate's field of view are the timing lights. When the lights show yellow, there are 15 seconds left in a candidate's answer or response. When the lights flash red, there are 5 seconds left, and when the light displays solid red, time is up. At that point, the candidate's microphone will be turned off, and the other candidate will have their microphone turned on. 

On each candidates' podium are two green lights. When they're on, they signal to the candidate that his microphone is on, and when the green lights are off, the microphone is off.

If one candidate tries to talk and interrupt another candidate, the man with the green light will remain at a constant volume while the man without will be difficult to understand. Both campaigns and candidates agreed to these rules.

https://www.wisn.com/article/trump-biden-presidential-debate-muted-mics-how-it-works/61440474