President Biden and former President Donald Trump are squaring off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle on Thursday night, an unusually early showdown that pits a sitting president against his predecessor on a debate stage for the first time.
Hosted by CNN in Atlanta, CBS News is simulcasting the debate on the CBS broadcast network and streaming it live on CBS News 24/7, which can be found at the top of this page. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will serve as moderators of the debate.
The debate runs 90 minutes and will feature two commercial breaks, according to the rules laid out by CNN. In the run-up to the debate, both campaigns flipped a coin, with the winner allowed to select either the candidates’ positions on stage or the order of closing statements. The Biden campaign won the toss, and chose the right side of the stage. The Trump campaign opted to have the former president deliver the second of the two closing statements.
Each candidate’s microphone will be muted when it’s not his turn to speak. They were both given a pad of paper, a pen and a bottle of water before the debate began, with no prewritten notes allowed. There is no studio audience in attendance, and they won’t have contact with staffers during the commercial breaks.
Follow along with live updates from the debate below:
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