This week’s debate between President Biden and former President Trump will be unlike any televised presidential debate in the 64 years since it began.
The event breaks with tradition in many ways, from who is hosting the meeting to its unique timing. The debate is set to be a key marker in the general election battle and could be crucial for either candidate.
Here are five big differences spectators will see in Thursday’s matchup.
President vs. former president
This is not the first time a sitting president and a former president have faced off in a general election, but Thursday will be the first time they meet in a televised debate, adding new intrigue to the Biden-Trump match.
The two candidates held two memorable debates four years ago, but the first was also widely remembered for Trump’s relentless berating and interruptions to Biden and moderator Chris Wallace, which did little to benefit the former president in the final weeks of the campaign.
But that hasn’t deterred Trump in this election: He had been vocal for months about wanting to debate Biden if he could, perhaps sensing an opportunity to brighten the former president’s prospects in the polls.
Trump supporters see the meeting between the two presidents in the White House as an opportunity to compare track records, and believe the debate on the economy and immigration will go to their advantage.
“This is very unique. … We have a very unique opportunity to look back at the story on the tape,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), who has been helping Trump prepare for Thursday’s debate, said of the showdown between the two presidents. “Every one of these debates is unique, but I’m pretty confident. [Trump’s] It will work out.”
The oldest TV debate in history
Thursday’s debate will be the first televised presidential debate in U.S. history, nearly three months early, and will essentially fire off the general election, acknowledging how many voters have cast ballots early in recent years.
“The more information you have in this day and age, the better, and people will pay attention,” Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-Minn.) told The Hill. “I’m hopeful that we’ll see more people pay attention earlier, and that’s a good thing for our democracy.”
This was one of the Biden campaign’s main complaints about the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), the long-time organizer of the fall debates.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, a Biden aide, wrote in a letter to the committee that “tens of millions of Americans will have already voted” before the first debate takes place, citing that as one of many reasons the campaigns don’t agree to holding a debate.
Until now, the oldest debate between major party candidates was on September 23, 1976, when then-President Ford and former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter (Democrat) met.
CNN runs the show
Bypassing the committee means Thursday night’s election campaign will be entirely handled by one network, CNN, marking a major change for voters.
The network will effectively become a third major player in the debate, with two of CNN’s most respected newscasters, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, taking on co-moderator roles, giving them additional tools to control the debate compared to past hosts.
First, both candidates’ microphones will be muted when they are not speaking, a stark change from years past.
Perhaps more shocking, there will be no studio audience, the first time this will happen since 1960, a change the Biden campaign had pushed for after the two 2020 debates.
“The attacks that Trump and Biden will be making against each other lose their Jerry Springer feel and will be less entertaining for them without a cheering crowd,” said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist and co-founder of Rock Solutions.
The 90-minute campaign will also include two commercial breaks during which neither side will be able to strategize with the candidate.
Absence of a committee
CNN’s participation came with the removal of the Chicago Police Department, which has controlled the debate since 1988, following complaints from both sides.
The commission has long been seen as a political demon by Republicans, especially since then-CNN anchor Candy Crowley fact-checked the second debate between Republican candidate Mitt Romney and former President Barack Obama live in 2012. Chicago Police ultimately acknowledged it was a “mistake” to let her moderate the debate.
But surprisingly, it appears that it was Democrats who dealt the commission a fatal blow after what the Biden campaign perceived to be multiple missteps in 2020. With the first debate scheduled just weeks after early voting, O’Malley Dillon also slammed the commission’s failure or unwillingness to enforce rules during the two debates four years ago, and its “model of creating a big show with big crowds.”
“The debates should be for the American voters watching on TV and at home, not as entertainment for loud or disruptive partisans and donors who consume valuable debate time with raucous cheering and heckling spectacles,” O’Malley Dillon said.
Because the committee operated largely behind the scenes, viewers on Thursday may not notice much difference beyond the absence of an audience and the absence of CNN’s branding. But given the committee’s influence in recent years, political insiders are curious to see what Thursday will bring from a practical standpoint.
““It’s like trying to get rid of the judges to set the terms of a fair debate, but CNN is trying to take on that role,” Bonjean said. “Let’s see how effective they are.”
Predecessor of the tournament
The late June debates would also mark a major shift in the traditional rhythm of election season, with the party’s national conventions being pushed out as the first major item on the calendar.
The presidential candidates’ battle on Thursday comes more than two weeks before Republicans gather in Milwaukee for their quadrennial convention, a complete reversal of the traditional convention schedule, which has traditionally been held about a month before the first debate and about six weeks before the Democratic convention.
Democrats hope Thursday will raise the bar for voters who previously weren’t paying attention to the general election, drawing them to the race sooner than usual.
“It’s a key opportunity for the president to set the stakes for 2024,” the Democratic activist said. “Trump has been the Republican nominee for almost a year now, there’s no question about it. The Republican Convention is a coronation.”
“Everyone knows that and it’s time for voters to be aware of it as well,” the official added.
