The first presidential debate between President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden is scheduled to take place Sept. 29, and there are two more set for Oct. 15 and 22. The debate between Vice President Pence and Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) is slated for Oct. 7. Here’s what you need to know about how and where to watch them.
Trump’s campaign unsuccessfully lobbied for an additional debate, arguing there needed to be an earlier September debate because the expansion of mail-voting means voting can begin earlier. But the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates rejected that idea, noting the “difference between ballots having been issued by a state and those ballots having been cast by voters, who are under no compulsion to return their ballots before the debates.”
The commission will announce the moderator for each debate in early September. Unlike in years past, there will be only one debate moderator, as the pandemic necessitates having as few people onstage as possible. The Trump campaign suggested moderators that included a number of Fox News hosts and conservative commentators. In response, the commission said it will take “great care, as always, to ensure that the selected moderators are qualified and fair.“
As of right now, we don’t know what the audience will look like for these debates, or whether there will even be one, or even whether the candidates will appear virtually or together onstage. The Trump campaign requested that both candidates appear onstage together. The commission did not respond to that request, saying only that they will follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and that they have retained Cleveland Clinic as a health security adviser for the debates.
Here’s what we know so far about each individual debate
First presidential debate: Sept. 29
Location: Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. (This was originally scheduled to be held at the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame withdrew, saying the fact they’d have to limit student attendance and volunteer opportunities because of the pandemic erases the reason to host a debate at their university.)
Time: 9-10:30 p.m. Eastern time
Where to watch: The Washington Post will have an uninterrupted live stream of the debate. It will also be carried on most major news stations.
Moderator: To be announced
Details: The debate will be 90 minutes long and have no commercial breaks. It will be divided into six, 15-minute segments that the moderator gets to choose and is expected to announce at least a week before the debate.
Vice-presidential debate: Oct. 7
Location: The University of Utah in Salt Lake City. As of now, the university has not reversed its decision to hold this debate.
Time: 9-10:30 p.m. Eastern time
Where to watch: The Washington Post will have an uninterrupted live stream of the debate. It will also be carried on most major news stations.
Moderator: To be announced
Details: The debate will be 90 minutes long and have no commercial breaks. It will be divided into nine segments of 10 minutes each.
Second presidential debate: Oct. 15
Location: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. The debate was moved to this location because of the pandemic. It was originally scheduled for the University of Michigan, which determined it wasn’t safe to bring campaigns, journalists and guests to the university in a pandemic.
Time: 9-10:30 p.m. Eastern time
Where to watch: The Washington Post will have an uninterrupted live stream of the debate. It will also be carried on most major news stations.
Details: The debate will be 90 minutes long and have no commercial breaks. This debate will be a town-hall format, where people who live in the Miami area can pose questions.
Moderator: To be announced
Third and final presidential debate: Oct. 22
Location: Belmont University in Nashville. As of now, the university has not reversed its decision to hold this debate.
Time: 9-10:30 p.m. Eastern time
Where to watch: The Washington Post will have an uninterrupted live stream of the debate. It will also be carried on most major news stations.
Moderator: To be announced
Details: The debate will be 90 minutes long and have no commercial breaks. It will be divided into six 15-minute segments that the moderator gets to choose and is expected to announce at least a week before the debate.
Fuente: WashingtonPost