Avoid chaos. This is the watchword of the American channel CNN , which is hosting this Thursday, June 27 at 9 p.m. (3 a.m. in France), the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Invectives, taunts… In 2020, the cacophony dominated the first televised duel between the two men during the previous presidential election. The outgoing president, Donald Trump, continued to interrupt his challenger Joe Biden, who ended up throwing “Will you shut up, dude?” ».
While for the first time, the debate is organized, more than four months before the election and even though the candidates are not officially nominated by their parties, the American channel has introduced several measures to avoid any excess during this unmissable event. We take stock.
Microphones cut
Among the measures taken by CNN : mute the microphones of the two presidential candidates. Thus, Joe Biden’s microphone will be cut off when Donald Trump speaks and vice versa. According to New York Times this is a request from the team of the current head of state.
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The channel also ensures that its two moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, figures of CNN, “will use all the tools at their disposal to enforce speaking times and ensure a civilized debate”.
No audience
For the first time since the 1976 presidential election, the debate will take place without an audience in the channel’s studios in Atlanta. The two oldest candidates in American history — 81 years for Biden, 78 for Trump — will stand behind a lectern for 90 minutes.
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The debate should be massively followed by viewers. The first duel between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was followed by 84 million people. A record. The first debate between Biden and Trump in 2020 brought together 73 million viewers.
No live fact-check
While CNN did not indicate what themes would be covered, the channel does not plan a real-time fact-check. “One of the problems of a debate with Donald Trump”who for example repeats without proof that the 2020 election was stolen from him, “is that the moderators cannot check the facts in real time and it is better not, it would be very risky and it would disrupt the debate”says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania with theAFP. « The danger is that instead of informing, a debate could multiply inaccurate information”she adds.
No teleprompters, no prepared forms
Joe Biden and Donald Trump will have neither teleprompters nor small prepared cards, but will be provided with something to take notes. They will not be able to speak with their teams during the two commercial breaks.
The final word for Donald Trump
Finally, outgoing US President Joe Biden won a coin toss to choose which side of the panel he would stand on or whether he would speak first or second during closing remarks. Biden opted to stand on the right side of the screen, leaving Donald Trump to speak last and close the debate.
A second debate is planned on ABC September 10, two months before the election.
