How to watch, what to know

Four years after their last face-off, President Biden will debate former President Trump on June 27 at 9 p.m.

Trump and Biden have decided to ignore the Commission on Presidential Debates and hold their first debate much earlier than usual in a presidential election, with the second debate being hosted by ABC on September 10.

Trump recently said he doesn’t want to underestimate Biden. Trump and his supporters have also begun spreading unfounded allegations that Biden uses performance-enhancing drugs to undermine Biden’s performance in office. Biden is seeking a turnaround after months of negative coverage about his age and poor polling numbers.

Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, are both the oldest party candidates in U.S. history and head into the debate roughly neck and neck in national opinion polls.

According to Decision Desk and The Hill’s presidential election forecasts, Trump has a 58% chance of winning the presidential election, while Biden has a 42% chance.

Who is hosting this debate?

CNN will host the debate in Atlanta, with CNN anchors and co-hosts of the Sunday show “State of the Union” Jake Tapper and Dana Bash serving as moderators.

There will be no spectators at the debate.

How do I watch the debate?

The debate will be broadcast live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max.

For those without cable TV, the debate will be streamed on CNN.com.

What are the rules of this debate?

During the debate, microphones will be muted except when it is a candidate’s turn to speak, and the moderator will be empowered to “use all means to maintain the timing and promote a civil debate.”

Both Biden and Trump agreed to the rules.

The 2020 election debates between Trump and Biden were marred by interruptions and altercations, with moderators struggling to rein in both candidates.

Biden will stand to the right of the stage, while Trump will deliver the final remarks in the debate. The order of speaking and podium placement were decided by a coin toss between the two candidates.

What were the eligibility requirements, and why did RFK Jr. not meet them?

Candidates had to meet the requirements for becoming president set out in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, which requires candidates to be at least 35 years of age and to be natural-born citizens of the United States.

A candidate must also file a candidacy notice with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and, by the qualification deadline, must have his or her name appear on the ballot in enough states to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold.

They must also receive at least 15 percent support in four nationwide polls of registered or likely voters.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was ineligible to compete in the debate, filed a complaint with the FEC alleging that Biden, Trump and CNN illegally conspired to bar him from the debate stage. Jill Stein of the Green Party also filed a complaint with the FEC.

Kennedy claims to appear on enough state ballots to secure his 310 electoral votes, but many states will not confirm that Kennedy is eligible to appear on their state’s ballot until much later in the election cycle.