The Trump-Biden showdown will depart from previous debates in these ways

On June 27, Joe Biden and Donald Trump will meet in the CNN headquarters in Atlanta for the first of the two presidential debates. The second debate, hosted by ABC, will take place in September.

Presidential debates have been a constant element of US presidential elections for decades. However, in this atypical election, the first Trump-Biden showdown will have major departures.

Right off the bat, the New York Times reported that the first debate is scheduled much earlier than the norm, with presidential debates usually taking place in September or October, closer to Election Day.

According to The New York Times, the debate will lack an audience. This was apparently requested by the Biden team, which wanted to avoid having boos or cheers of the public interrupting the candidates.

CNN also explains that the microphones will be muted except when it’s a candidate’s turn to speak, avoiding they interrupt each other.

Trump and Biden won’t be allowed to have notes or props, but will be given a pen, a pad, and a bottle of water. Podiums will be uniform, and their positions will be decided by a coin toss.

Someone who won’t be in the debate? Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., who failed to reach the threshold demanded by the CNN organizers to participate, per Reuters.

According to Reuters, to qualify in the debate, all the candidates must have shown a support of at least 15% of the vote in four major national polls. Kennedy only had three.

“Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand,” Kennedy said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.

The nephew of John F. Kennedy added: “My exclusion by Presidents Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly”.

One thing is certain, everything is set for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden to spend four more years in the White House.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.