The earliest televised presidential debate in history will take place on June 27 on CNN, according to a May 15 statement from the outlet. This announcement came shortly after former President Donald Trump accepted an invitation from President Joe Biden for two debates in June and September. The debate is set to be held at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, a key battleground state for the November election. Notably, there will be no audience present at the debate “to ensure candidates may maximize the time allotted in the debate.
President Biden took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that he had accepted CNN’s invitation for the presidential debate. He wrote: “Over to you, Donald.” Trump then posted on Truth Social, accepting the CNN Debate against President Biden, calling him “Crooked Joe Biden,” and referring to him as “the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy.
President Trump also announced his willingness to accept an ABC News debate against President Biden on September 10. Following this, President Biden confirmed his acceptance of the debate via X, stating that he plans on keeping the plane he intends to use for another four years if he secures victory in the election.
For the CNN debate, further details such as moderators will be announced at a later date by the network. To qualify for participation in the debates, candidates must meet various criteria outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution. They must also file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting.
Notably, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not mentioned in the proposals, despite receiving at least 15% of the vote in some polls and having not yet qualified on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral votes required for securing the presidency. The Kennedy campaign expressed their disapproval by criticizing both candidates for keeping him out of the debate, stating that excluding him undermines democracy.
CNN’s memo on May 15 revealed that polls that “meet CNN editorial standards” include those from ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, Marquette University Law School, Monmouth University, NBC News, The New York Times/Siena College, NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College, Quinnipiac University, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
The Trump campaign has expressed satisfaction that President Biden had agreed to engage in a debate with President Trump and is advocating for additional debates, suggesting one debate per month from June through September, along with the vice presidential debate. They believe this proposal would give American voters more opportunities to hear directly from the candidates amid current national issues.
On May 15, President Trump announced his acceptance of another debate against President Biden on Fox News on October 2, with hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as moderators. However, as of the afternoon of May 15, it appears that the Biden campaign has rejected the offer for any additional debates.
Kate Bedingfield, the White House Communications Director, responded to President Trump’s call for additional debates on behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign, criticizing the former president’s “varying degrees of comprehension and basic grammar.” She also highlighted Trump’s history of playing games with debates and expressed skepticism about whether he would show up for the June 27th debate in Atlanta.