President Donald Trump is speaking during the president’s first debate against Joe Biden on September 29.
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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and Democrat J B Biden will cut off their microphones in Thursday’s debate, while their rivals respond with their initial two minutes on each topic of discussion.
The 90-minute discussion is divided into six 15-minute sections, with each candidate giving two minutes to make an uninterrupted comment before proceeding with the open discussion. The mute button will not show part of the open discussion, but the interruptions made by both candidates will count their time in the second and final discussion on Thursday.
The nonpartisan commission on presidential discussions announced the rule change Monday, three weeks after a chaotic opening between the two presidential contenders, which featured frequent interruptions – mostly by Trump.
The commission has faced pressure from the Trump campaign not to change the rules, while Biden’s team had hoped for a more orderly discussion. In a statement, the commission said, “It has decided that it is appropriate to take steps to agree on the rules and follow up on those who are unfit to change the rules.”
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