How to watch the first presidential debate of the general election – Chicago Tribune

ATLANTA – The first general election debate of the 2024 election season is here, and it’s a historic moment no matter what happens on stage.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will take part in the debate in Atlanta on Thursday evening. Not only is it the first-ever confrontation between a sitting president and a former president, but it is also the first debate for both candidates in this year’s elections. And it’s happening so early in the general election campaign cycle that neither man will have yet accepted their party’s formal nomination.

Here’s how you can watch the debate:

What time is the debate?

The debate begins Thursday at 9:00 PM ET. It will be moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

On which channel will the debate be broadcast?

CNN will carry the debate live on its broadcast network, as well as on CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max. Viewers can also stream it without logging into CNN’s website. Several networks have also agreed to carry the event live.

Where is the debate?

The setting for the first general election debate will be CNN’s studios in Atlanta. Unlike the Republican primaries, there will be no audience present.

Once a Republican stronghold, Georgia has been a crucial battleground in 2020. Both parties are preparing for another hard-fought race in the state this year. Trump also faces a charge in Georgia over his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Biden’s victory based on false or unproven theories of voter fraud.

Which candidates are on stage?

Two candidates – Biden and Trump – will be on stage. For a while it looked like they wouldn’t meet at all.

Biden’s campaign had proposed banning third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the debates entirely. Under debate commission rules, Kennedy or other third-party candidates could qualify if they gained enough access to ballots to claim 270 electoral votes and polled 15% or higher in a selection of national polls.

Both CNN and ABC announced the same qualification threshold, saying candidates must get at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters who meet their standards between March 13 and a week before Thursday’s contest. Last week, CNN announced that Kennedy had failed to meet these marks.

Trump did not participate in any of the Republican Party’s primary debates, so this is his first time on stage this cycle. Biden also did not debate any of the Democrats who challenged him.

Last month, Biden announced he would not participate in the fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan committee that has organized them for more than three decades. Instead, his campaign proposed that the media directly host the debates between the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees.

Hours later, Biden said he had accepted an invitation from CNN, adding, “To you, Donald.” Trump, who had insisted he would debate Biden anytime, anywhere, said on Truth Social that he would be there too, adding: “Let’s get ready for Rumble!!!” Shortly afterwards they agreed to a second debate.

What’s next?

ABC will host the second debate on September 10. The network did not provide details about where the event would be held, only that it would be moderated by hosts David Muir and Linsey Davis.

And don’t forget the running mates. Trump has not yet named his, but Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CBS News to debate her eventual rival in the studio on July 23 or August 13.