Published 2024-06-27 23.56
unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen
chevron-rightnext
President Biden about to board Air Force One to fly to the debate in Atlanta.
1 / 2Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
It was total chaos when Trump and Biden debated on CNN four years ago.
Tonight they face each other again.
And this time they won’t be allowed to interrupt each other.
ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.
Show more
chevron-down
The premiere debate is led by the television channel CNN‘s profiles Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta. It all starts at 03:00, Swedish time.
Then Donald Trump, 78, and Joe Biden, 81, will debate for 90 minutes behind each standing table, just a few meters from each other.
The setup was similar in the first election debate in 2020, which became historically chaotic. Trump and Biden constantly interrupted each other, the insults rained down, and just a quarter of an hour into the debate, Biden told Trump to shut up.
The candidates were criticized for only engaging in pie-throwing instead of substantive issues.
CNN now wants to avoid such a scenario. In a letter sent to the campaign managers, the channel writes that they will use “all available tools to ensure a civilized discussion”.
expand-left
full screenDonald Trump gestures to the crowd during a rally earlier in June. Photo: Chris Szagola/AP
Trump gets the last word
In order to participate, the presidential candidates have had to agree to several new requirements.
There will be no studio audience, they will have shorter speaking time and during the breaks they will not be allowed to talk to their campaign staff.
To avoid the chaos from last time, only the speaker will have his microphone on.
There also won’t be any surprises à la waving falu sausages – no props allowed, and no prescripted notes. The only things candidates are allowed to bring with them are a pen, pad and water bottle.
According to CBS, it is Joe Biden who will get to choose the podium first, while Donald Trump in exchange will get the last word of the evening.
expand-left
full screen There will be no surprise moments à la waving falu sausages, like when Ebba Busch and KD waltzed in 2022. No props allowed. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
No one is popular
The stakes are high as rivals Trump and Biden tonight compete for the electorate.
Both are unpopular with Americans. According to current measurements Trump has a slight edge in public opinion, with national support at 46 percent compared to Biden’s 45.
At the same time, Trump leads Biden in all seven important swing states, which weigh between Republican and Democratic majorities and which usually decide the election.
CNN has not announced what topics will be covered in tonight’s debate. But in the American media there is speculation that Trump will want to raise his heart issues border control and immigration, while Biden is said to want to debate abortion laws.
“Want to see if there will be a meltdown”
Other topics that may come up are the verdict against Donald Trump after the case of the “hush money” of porn star Stormy Daniels, as well as the verdict against Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden who lied about his drug problems when he applied for a gun license.
But what American television viewers are most interested in is how sharp the candidates are mentally, believes Tevi Troy, presidential historian at the Bipartisan Policy Center think tank.
– People are not enthusiastic about the candidates, but they want to see if there will be a meltdown on stage. And it can happen in two ways: Trump can have a meltdown of anger, Biden can have an age-related one, he tells The Hill.
expand-left
fullscreen Preparations for tonight’s debate. Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP