President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are scheduled to debate tonight at 9 pm on CNN.
Tonight marks the first general election debate of 2024, one of two such planned debates, with the second (hosted by ABC) scheduled for September. Tonight is also the first debate since the 1980s not organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees have coordinated directly with news outlets on the dates and terms, agreeing to forgo opening statements, debate notes, and an audience. There will be a mute button to cut candidates’ microphones off after their allotted response time expires.
The debate—hosted by moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash—comes as recent polls predict a tight race, with Trump leading by 1%-2% nationally. Trump is currently leading in seven key swing state polls by 1%-5%.
