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When Donald Trump and Joe Biden meet on Thursday for a final televised debate, each candidate will have their microphone cut off while the other answers questions.
The 90-minute debate is divided into six 15-minute segments, with each candidate having two minutes for uninterrupted comments before moving on to an open debate.
The non-partisan Presidential Debate Commission (CPD) announced Monday that “to enforce this agreed rule, the only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor by the rules.” . Both microphones will be activated for open discussion.
The commission added in a statement: “We realize, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign can be fully satisfied with the measures announced today. One may think that they are going too far and one may think that they are not going far enough. We feel comfortable that these actions strike the right balance and are in the interest of the American people, for whom these discussions are taking place. “
The rule change comes after a chaotic first debate on Sept. 30 during which presidential candidates constantly spoke to each other, with Trump interrupting and relentlessly attacking his Democratic rival.
Trump intervened so frequently that Biden at one point lost his patience and blurted out, “You wanna shut up, man? This is so un-presidential. “
The change in the debate rules is likely to enrage the Trump campaign. Republicans and Trump have criticized CPD for canceling the second debate due to security concerns after Trump was diagnosed with Covid-19.
And earlier Monday, the Trump campaign challenged the themes of some of the questions that the debate moderator, NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker, had chosen for the debate. In a recent rally, Trump complained that Welker is “extremely unfair.” He has also tweeted: “She has always been terrible and unfair, like most fake news reporters, but I will keep playing.”
The president’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, issued a statement Monday night, writing: “President Trump is committed to debating Joe Biden regardless of last minute changes to the bias commission rules on his latest attempt. to give your favorite candidate an advantage. “
