An hour and a half of debate without an audience and deactivable microphones to enforce speaking times: the rules of the first campaign debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, on June 27, were made public on Saturday by CNN, which will organize.
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The duel of the main candidates in the American presidential election will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, in the southeast of the United States, at a much earlier date than usual.
The channel had indicated since its announcement in May that the exchange would take place without an audience, a formula which is preferred by Joe Biden.
CNN announced Saturday that the two candidates’ campaign teams had agreed to a series of other arrangements, including the use of identical lecterns and muteable microphones.
“Microphones will be muted for the duration of the debate, except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak,” specifies CNN, which adds that presenters Jake Tapper and Dana Bash “will use all tools at their disposal to respect the time and guarantee a civilized discussion.
The 90-minute debate will be interrupted by two commercial breaks, during which campaign teams will not be able to interact with the candidates, CNN also indicates.
Notes written in advance will also be prohibited on the set, but “candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water”.
The Democratic president and his Republican predecessor agreed to debate twice before the presidential election on November 5, on June 27 and September 10. The second debate will be organized by the ABC channel.
“He says he wants to debate me again. In that case, humor me, dude. I will even do it twice,” Joe Biden launched in mid-May in an offensive video message.
Donald Trump, who had long been calling for a televised duel, immediately took up the gauntlet: “Tell me when. I will be there. It’s time for a fight!!!”, he replied.
