Trump expressed uncertainty about Harris’s participation, stating, “The other side has to agree to the terms… I don’t know if they’re going to agree.”
Initially, a debate was set between President Biden and Trump, but Biden’s departure from the race and Harris’s rise as the Democratic candidate led to uncertainties about Trump’s commitment. However, Trump has now confirmed his participation.
Harris responded to the news, stating, “I hear that Donald Trump has finally committed to debating me on September 10. I look forward to it.”
The debate calendar remains uncertain due to the absence of the nonpartisan Presidential Debate Commission this year.
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OK, my choice to replace President Biden as the Democratic nominee is George Clooney.
Yes, I am semi-serious. No, I don’t expect anyone else to take me seriously — let alone the Oscar-winning actor.
His lifestyle, privacy and pay would suffer immensely — even if a $400,000 salary plus free housing, food and travel would sound very alluring to most people. Even with the hefty workload increase.
Why Clooney?
Most importantly, he’d whip the dangerous Donald Trump easily, probably by a landslide. Clooney’s a better actor. That’s all Trump is, besides a compulsive liar. Clooney is much more.
He has an easy smile that exudes sincerity and is extraordinarily telegenic. Trump pouts and frowns and is a horror show.
Clooney exhibits conviction and is a humanitarian. Trump displays self-centered opportunism and sows hate.
Clooney is relatively young for a presidential candidate these days. He’s an upbeat 63. Trump is a whiny, grouchy 78.
“I love Joe Biden. … In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he faced. But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can,” Clooney wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
“Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw…. The [ABC] George Stephanopoulous interview only reinforced what we saw the week before. … Is it fair to point these things out? It has to be. … We are not going to win in November with this president. …
“Top Democrats … need to ask this president to voluntarily step aside. … Would it be messy? Yes. Democracy is messy. But would it enliven our party and wake up voters who, long before the June debate, had already checked out. It sure would.”
Agreed.
Biden has been a good president despite a few screwups, most notably on illegal immigration. But that doesn’t mean he’d be effective in a second term.
And Biden’s candidacy is not sustainable. Support among Democratic members of Congress is cracking.
Much more importantly, voters have been telling pollsters for months that they desire a younger Democratic standard bearer. But the party didn’t listen. Now, Biden is losing more ground to Trump and there’s even speculation about some blue states turning purple.
Patrons watch President Biden debate former President Trump at a watch party on June 27 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Freed from the inane two-minute time limit on answering questions in the TV debate, Biden was able to respond with thoughtful replies. He particularly was impressive when answering a foreign policy question about dealing with China and Russia.
But he awkwardly flubbed the first question. Biden was asked whether he was concerned about Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to beat Trump if she were the nominee.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president. So, let’s start there,” he replied.
That could be dismissed as a minor slip of the tongue, but the president did a similar name botch an hour earlier. At a Washington ceremony, Biden accidentally introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the Russian tyrant who invaded Zelensky’s country.
“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said, before quickly catching himself.
Then there was the July 4 radio interview when Biden said: “I’m proud to be … the first vice president, the first Black woman to serve with a Black president.”
He was scrambling his often-used line about being proud of serving with the first Black president and also choosing the first Black woman as vice president. It was a too-common verbal fumble that accentuates voters’ concern about the president’s decline.
Clooney’s a world-class communicator.
He’s a Kentucky native who conceivably could draw support from Southern border states. Remember that wonderful “O Brother, Where Art Thou” flick when he played a lead bluegrass singer? Sure, he was an escaped convict, but that was just pretend. Trump’s a true-life convicted felon.
Clooney piloted the swordfishing boat Andrea Gail into “The Perfect Storm” and it perished, but I’m confident he wouldn’t sink the ship of state.
Look how he cleverly and deftly upended the corrupt corporate attorney who tried to kill him in “Michael Clayton.”
And showed his environmental creds and family values in “The Descendants.”
Politicians should never underestimate the voters’ desire to be entertained.
Yes, Clooney is just a movie star who has never served in public office. But neither had actors Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger before they were elected California governor.
And Trump, a reality TV star, had never held office either before shockingly being elected president. In his case, it showed.
All right, Clooney is not going to be nominated for president. Democrats haven’t the imagination.
But they should entertain us at their August convention by engaging in a competitive, wide-open contest for the best candidate to stop Trump. And it’s not Biden.
President Joe Biden’s performance at the June 27 presidential debate has raised concerns about his age, health and ability to lead the federal government.Administration officials have blamed his confused and at times indecipherable answers at the debate with Republican Donald Trump on a head cold, jet lag and poor preparation at Camp David. But at 81, Biden has found his health to be a key issue for many voters going into November’s election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to address questions about the president’s health at Monday’s news briefing. Biden has extensive yearly physical exams, Jean-Pierre said. She added that most Americans don’t understand the extent of the medical care provided to the president, as many people are lucky if they get to see their doctors once or twice a year. By contrast, the president’s medical unit is “just steps down from the residence” at the White House. “A couple times a week,” Biden does a “verbal check-in with his doctor while he’s exercising,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that he had a check-in on Monday.There has been confusion as to whether Biden saw his doctor about his cold after the presidential debate on June 27. The White House initially said there was no medical exam, but it later said there was a “short verbal check-in” and it was determined that no exam was needed. “He has seen a neurologist three times,” said Jean-Pierre. “Not more than that.”The White House spokesperson repeated the phrase “three times” in 17 instances during the Monday briefing. She stressed that all three meetings with a neurologist were tied to the president’s annual physical exams. But Jean-Pierre declined to say where Biden had seen the neurologist — whether the visits were at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or elsewhere. “I don’t have anything to state as to location,” she said. Not according to the most recent doctor’s letter, issued in February after Biden’s last physical. Jean-Pierre cited that document Monday in response to reporters’ questions.That letter said “an extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring” in that there were no findings consistent with a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis. The letter added that no tremors or “motor weakness” were detected. Written by Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the letter added that Biden “demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity.” Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who has conducted research into Parkinson’s, went to the White House eight times between July 2023 and this past March.Jean-Pierre declined to confirm the name of the doctor or say why he was going to the White House. She told reporters this was due to security reasons and noted that the White House medical unit treats more people than just the president. “There are thousands of military personnel who come on to this White House,” Jean-Pierre said. “Many of them get the care from the White House medical unit and so we need to be super careful.”Jean-Pierre encouraged the public to “connect the dots.”According to a person familiar with the matter, Cannard makes roughly monthly visits to the White House to support the White House Medical Unit. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private medical matters. Cannard made similar trips during the Obama administration, according to visitor logs, and during the Trump administration according to a person familiar with the matter. Cannard did have one visit with Biden’s personal physician this January in the White House Residence clinic, weeks before the president’s physical in February. At Monday’s news briefing, Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden could choose to release his full medical records. She said the president had “shared a comprehensive medical report that is pretty detailed” and in line with what was provided by former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Sen. John McCain, in 2008, allowed reporters to review more than 1,100 pages of his medical records when he was running for president at 71, which would have made him the oldest elected president at the time.
Administration officials have blamed his confused and at times indecipherable answers at the debate with Republican Donald Trump on a head cold, jet lag and poor preparation at Camp David. But at 81, Biden has found his health to be a key issue for many voters going into November’s election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to address questions about the president’s health at Monday’s news briefing.
Biden has extensive yearly physical exams, Jean-Pierre said. She added that most Americans don’t understand the extent of the medical care provided to the president, as many people are lucky if they get to see their doctors once or twice a year. By contrast, the president’s medical unit is “just steps down from the residence” at the White House. “A couple times a week,” Biden does a “verbal check-in with his doctor while he’s exercising,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that he had a check-in on Monday.
There has been confusion as to whether Biden saw his doctor about his cold after the presidential debate on June 27. The White House initially said there was no medical exam, but it later said there was a “short verbal check-in” and it was determined that no exam was needed.
“He has seen a neurologist three times,” said Jean-Pierre. “Not more than that.”
The White House spokesperson repeated the phrase “three times” in 17 instances during the Monday briefing. She stressed that all three meetings with a neurologist were tied to the president’s annual physical exams. But Jean-Pierre declined to say where Biden had seen the neurologist — whether the visits were at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or elsewhere. “I don’t have anything to state as to location,” she said.
Not according to the most recent doctor’s letter, issued in February after Biden’s last physical. Jean-Pierre cited that document Monday in response to reporters’ questions.
That letter said “an extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring” in that there were no findings consistent with a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis. The letter added that no tremors or “motor weakness” were detected. Written by Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the letter added that Biden “demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity.”
Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who has conducted research into Parkinson’s, went to the White House eight times between July 2023 and this past March.
Jean-Pierre declined to confirm the name of the doctor or say why he was going to the White House. She told reporters this was due to security reasons and noted that the White House medical unit treats more people than just the president. “There are thousands of military personnel who come on to this White House,” Jean-Pierre said. “Many of them get the care from the White House medical unit and so we need to be super careful.”
Jean-Pierre encouraged the public to “connect the dots.”
According to a person familiar with the matter, Cannard makes roughly monthly visits to the White House to support the White House Medical Unit. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private medical matters. Cannard made similar trips during the Obama administration, according to visitor logs, and during the Trump administration according to a person familiar with the matter.
Cannard did have one visit with Biden’s personal physician this January in the White House Residence clinic, weeks before the president’s physical in February.
At Monday’s news briefing, Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden could choose to release his full medical records. She said the president had “shared a comprehensive medical report that is pretty detailed” and in line with what was provided by former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Sen. John McCain, in 2008, allowed reporters to review more than 1,100 pages of his medical records when he was running for president at 71, which would have made him the oldest elected president at the time.
President Biden’s rough week isn’t getting any relief from the latest CBS News poll that shows Donald Trump leading him by two points nationally and three points in battleground states among likely voters. CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes has more on the growing concerns from Democrats about the president’s standing in the race after his poor debate performance last week.
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In the days since Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, a sizable chunk of the liberal commentariat has called for the sitting president to drop out of the race. The Biden campaign, meanwhile, says the 81-year-old is not going anywhere. On this point, Biden and Donald Trump agree. According to multiple sources, Trump expects that—barring a health crisis—the historic effort to dump Biden will fail. “They’re stuck with Biden,” a senior Trump campaign source told me. Longtime Trump confidant Kellyanne Conway agreed, arguing that Democrats are too disorganized to draft a replacement. “That party has fallen into a state of sclerosis,” she said.
Some Republicans outside the Trump campaign, however, worry that Democrats will find a way to jettison Biden for a more competitive candidate. Over the weekend, Trump’s primary rival Nikki Haleytold The Wall Street Journal that the ex-president needs to prepare to face a younger opponent. Sources I spoke to said that would be a worst-case scenario for Trump. “We need to make sure Biden stays on the ballot and there’s no bait and switch,” a veteran of Trump’s 2020 campaign said. Another MAGA-world insider said Trump potentially walked into a trap by agreeing to debate Biden before the party conventions, leaving Democrats with enough time to make a change. According to this source, the party won’t let Biden remain on the ticket. “They will force him out because they don’t intend to lose,” the source said.
These Republicans speculate that Democrats will tap a popular centrist governor to be the nominee. Names I heard floated include Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, and New Jersey’s Phil Murphy. The 2020 Trump campaign veteran, however, thinks Vice President Kamala Harris is the only realistic replacement for Biden. “They can’t sidestep her,” he said.
For months, the Trump campaign has pushed a narrative that Biden is too senile to be president, but senior Trump adviser Jason Miller told me the GOP candidate expected Biden to be stronger after his week of preparation at Camp David. In the end, two sources said, the candidate himself was taken aback by how frail and incoherent Biden seemed to be. “He felt sad for America and then got upset,” said the 2020 campaign veteran, who was briefed on conversations Trump had after the debate.
Hosted by Jane Pauley. In our cover story, Robert Costa reports on the fallout from the Biden-Trump debate. Also: Erin Moriarty looks at the enduring fashion style of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; Anthony Mason talks with Paul McCartney about recently-discovered photos taken by the former Beatle in 1964; David Martin interviews the crew of the USS Carney about their deployment in the Red Sea, where they engaged with missiles and drones fired by Houthi rebels supporting Hamas; Dr. Jon LaPook examines the distinctions between normal and abnormal aging; David Pogue discusses Americans’ declining trust in the Supreme Court; Faith Salie visits a contest teaching history lessons; and Luke Burbank spins into the origins of the newest Olympic sport, breaking.
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In the immediate aftermath of the first presidential debate Thursday night, an old question emerged with renewed urgency: Should Biden drop out of the race?
The 90-minute debate, hosted by CNN and moderated by the organizations’ Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, was, as Vanity Fair’s Bess Levinwrote, “a terrible night that left people who care about the fate of the country/world/universe on the floor in a fetal position from which no one has gotten up.”
President Joe Biden’s performance was rife with the very moments Democrats were hoping to avoid; he seemed old and frazzled. His competitor, former president Donald Trump, told lie after lie after lie—on abortion, taxes, immigration, etc. There was no real-time fact-checking provided by CNN. At some points, like when the septuagenarian and octogenarian were bragging about their golf game, it was simply difficult to watch.
Biden mentioned the showdown with Trump and addressed his performance at a campaign event in North Carolina on Friday. “Did you see Trump last night? My guess he set—and I mean this sincerely—a new record for the most lies told in a single debate,” Biden said. He continued, “Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth.
After the debate, per reporting from The Daily Beast, Biden campaign spokesperson, Seth Schuster, texted multiple media outlets, “Of course he’s not dropping out.”
The mechanics of replacing Biden would be difficult, to say the least, though not impossible. Those calling for Biden to drop out of the race and release all the pledged delegates he has accumulated—3,894 of 3,937 committed so far, according to a tally by AP—were swift and stern.
The New York Times editorial board wrote, “The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence.”
“The burden rests on the Democratic Party,” the board continued, “to put the interests of the nation above the ambitions of a single man.”
The Times also published two other opinion pieces during the debate fallout, one by columnist Nicholas Kristofentitled “President Biden, I’ve Seen Enough” and another in which Thomas Friedmanwrites, “I watched the Biden-Trump debate alone in a Lisbon hotel room, and it made me weep. I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime, precisely because of what it revealed: Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for re-election.”
According to Axios, a well-known Democrat who often talks to the president said that those who are surrounding Biden should tell him “the absolute truth about where he is” and that “loyalty doesn’t mean blind loyalty.”
It didn’t take long for those in Biden’s corner to jump in and attempt to reassure an anxious American public.
“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know.” former president Barack Obamaposted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday afternoon. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”
Joe Biden vows to stay in the race after calls to bow out following debate; Daniel Rose runs two restaurants — one in Paris and one in New York. Here’s how he does it
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Despite mounting calls to bow out of the 2024 presidential election after his debate performance on Thursday, President Biden said he will continue his run for a second term.
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The reviews are in on the first presidential debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.
“It wasn’t Biden’s best night,” Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly conceded to CBS News.
“It pains me to say the president’s performance was bad,” opined Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean. “He had a bad debate. There’s no two ways about that.”
“Look, it was a terrible debate,” said Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, who told reporters she’s still “processing” what happened.
But for all the handwringing and Friday-morning quarterbacking about President Biden’s raspy delivery, verbal stumbles and incomplete thoughts, many congressional Democrats aren’t ready to give up on him, despite some reported calls within party ranks to consider another nominee.
“That was strike one,” longtime Biden ally Rep. Jim Clyburn, of South Carolina told CBS News. “If this were a ball game, he’s got two more swings.”
Clyburn’s message to nervous Democrats: “Stay the course.”
“We should focus on the Biden record,” said the veteran Democrat, who chalked up Biden’s performance to “stylistic” difficulties. “Focus on substance. We have a workhorse on behalf of the American people. We’ve got a show horse that’s trying to get him out of office.”
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi concurred when asked about her impressions of President Biden’s first matchup against former President Trump.
“Compared to a person who was lying the whole time, we saw integrity on one side and dishonesty on the other. That’s how I saw it,” Pelosi told CBS News.
Former President Obama also weighed in with a similar message on social media.
“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Obama posted. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”
Some Democrats were less forgiving.
“That’s beyond my pay grade,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, who won a New York swing district this year, told reporters when asked if President Biden should step aside.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, in an interview with WBUR declined to directly answer a question about whether Mr. Biden was fit to serve another term. Like other Democratic lawmakers, she said he had a “really bad night,” but unlike them, she expressed some uncertainty about what lies ahead.
“I’ve had a chance to work with him over the last three and a half years,” she told WBUR. “He’s gotten a lot done for the country. That’s made a difference, and I think there will be assessments going forward about what happens next. But I can’t answer that for you today.”
“I think there are going to be a lot of discussions about what happens next. I think we’re going to have to see President Biden again and see what happens,” she also said, adding, “He had a really bad night last night. So the question is is that going to disqualify him for the next 4 years? I think that’s going to be determined.”
Other lawmakers tried to tamp down concerns about the 81-year-old president’s impact at the top of the ticket on down-ballot races.
“I am not part of the drama of this town that immediately demands because somebody had a bad night we’re in crisis,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, of Michigan, who acknowledged “the purple state” will be competitive. “Let’s see what happens. I’m going home and talking to the people in my district.”
“Voters aren’t going to make a decision because someone had a sore throat,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, of California, who traveled to Atlanta as a campaign surrogate and insisted Mr. Biden will “100%” be the nominee.”
The White House confirmed the president was suffering from a cold during the debate, describing it as “nothing unusual.” The Biden campaign held an all-staff call Friday. Communications director Michael Tyler told reporters the campaign has no plans to switch its strategy and insisted have been “no conversations” about Mr. Biden stepping aside.
Speaking to a North Carolina crowd Friday afternoon amid alternating chants of “Joe” and “four more years,” Mr. Biden admitted his missteps.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” the 81-year-old said at a campaign rally in Raleigh. “Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth.”
Nikole Killion is a CBS News congressional correspondent based in Washington D.C. As a correspondent, Killion played a key role in the Network’s 2020 political and election coverage, reporting from around the country during the final stretch of the campaign and throughout the Biden transition.
That’s my take after watching the presidential debate, but I didn’t watch alone. I enlisted three experts on aging to share their observations. I was focused on a single question while watching President Biden debate former President Trump. At their advanced ages — Biden at 81, Trump at 78 — is either up to the task of running the country?
This has been a hot topic for months, with many people convinced that Biden has lost his mental sharpness. (Not that Trump’s mental state hasn’t come into question.) I asked my three experts not to do a political analysis, or to make a medical diagnosis, because as I’ve written more than once, that’s a complicated process that can’t be performed from a distance.
California is about to be hit by an aging population wave, and Steve Lopez is riding it. His column focuses on the blessings and burdens of advancing age — and how some folks are challenging the stigma associated with older adults.
What I wanted was their take on command, coherence, competence, composure, reason and skills of communication and articulation. Aging takes a toll, physical and mental, but you can be an old 60-year-old and a young 85-year-old because everyone ages differently.
Biden froze up early on. He failed to come up with a word he was fumbling for while speaking about the national debt, and he looked lost.
One of my experts, Dr. Zaldy Tan, director of the Memory and Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai, emailed to say a televised debate can be like a “cognitive stress test” and is “bound to bring about subtle, albeit normal, age-related changes in one’s mental agility.”
It seemed to me, however, that with a scratchy, weak voice and a sometimes-vacant look in his eyes, Biden might be in trouble.
He and Trump both seemed pretty agile though during one exchange in which they took off the gloves and went bare-knuckle.
“You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden said, staring down his foe while listing a few of Trump’s many transgressions.
“I didn’t have sex with a porn star,” Trump insisted, and if there’s a political campaign button with that claim on it, I’d like to buy a bushel of them.
The candidates took turns accusing each other of being criminals, which made me think back on another low point in American politics, when Richard Nixon insisted, as his presidency was in flames, “I am not a crook.”
Former President Trump and President Biden took turns accusing each other of being criminals during the debate.
(Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)
Another of my debate watchers was Dr. Myron Shapero, an urgent care physician in Beverly Hills. I wanted his perspective because he’s older than either Biden or Trump by a good stretch. Shapero is 90, and he thought Biden did not have a good night.
“I think it’s obvious that Biden is not Biden anymore,” said Shapero. “What Trump needed was someone sharp, sure, strong, who could counterpunch … and Joe always had that capacity.” On Thursday, “he didn’t have it.”
Shapero said the word that came to mind, as the night wore on and he studied Biden’s performance, was “flustered.”
“It’s the aging process, and everyone handles it differently,” said Shapero. “He was vacant. He was not fully present, and it was painful to see.”
Dr. Tan was more forgiving in his assessment.
“Besides the speech impediment,” he said, referencing a longtime Biden affliction, “it is possible that he experienced mind wandering, more commonly referred to as losing one’s train of thought. The tendency to mind wander increases with higher stress levels, sleep deprivation and taking certain medications.”
Caroline Cicero, an associate professor in the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC, said she saw a sitting president who was not at his best.
“Viewers surely noticed that President Biden did not command confidence in his performance,” Cicero said. “His blank stares left me wondering if his strategy was not to react and to stay stone-faced, so that he didn’t appear to be a grumpy old man.”
Cicero said she wondered why Biden at times did not respond “more directly” to Trump attacks. “Reaction times do slow with age,” she said.
Tanzella Young, left, Crystal Blakley and Jason Sanford watch the presidential debate at the M Lounge in the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago.
(Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)
Early in the debate, when Biden trailed off, Trump said: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either.”
Trump went in for the kill, as Dr. Shapero saw it.
“Smelling blood made him nastier and more pathological,” Shapero said. “I feel that substance-wise, [Trump] was filled with lies, but stylistically, I think he came off stronger because he was less maniacal” than he usually is.
One can ask whether Trump, a man aggressively removed from truth and civility, is fit for office. And Biden scored some points in exposing his opponent’s many barnacles, including the fact that he’s a convicted felon.
But what I saw in Biden was a decent man and career public servant who is past his prime.
What I saw in Trump was the usual boast and bluster, with no apparent ability or desire to control his own worst instincts.
They ended the debate arguing about who had the better golf handicap.
Washington — In the first moments of Thursday’s debate, President Biden stumbled as he flubbed some early lines as his voice appeared ready to give out, while sources said he was suffering from a cold.
Mr. Biden’s voice never recovered throughout the 90-minute debate against former President Donald Trump — deflating chances of convincing Americans through his debate performance that at age 81 he is healthy enough to serve another four-year term in the White House. A CBS News poll earlier this month found that only a third of voters think Mr. Biden has the cognitive ability to be president, compared to half of voters who think Trump does.
Forty-five minutes into the debate, sources familiar with Mr. Biden’s debate preparations said he has had a cold for the past few days. A top official said the president was examined by a doctor at Camp David, who confirmed the cold. The president tested negative for COVID, they said.
In addition, the president lost his train of thought and struggled to name Medicare when he was answering a question about the tax rate for wealthy Americans.
President Joe Biden pauses during the CNN presidential debate on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
“We have 1,000 trillionaires in America — I mean billionaires in America. And what’s happening? They’re in a situation where they, in fact, pay 8.2% taxes, if they just paid 24%, 25% — either one of those numbers — we’d raise $500 million dollars — billion dollars, I should say — in a 10-year period,” he said, listing off a number of priorities like paying for child care, health care and “making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the COVID, excuse me, with, dealing with everything we have to do with, uh…”
The president then paused and struggled to come up with the word.
“Excuse me,” he said, “dealing with everything we have to do with…”
The president then paused again.
“Look, if we finally beat Medicare,” he continued.
“Thank you, President Biden,” CNN moderator Jake Tapper said. “President Trump?”
“He did beat Medicaid, beat it to death, that he’s destroying Medicare,” Trump said.
Mr. Biden’s debate performance rattled some Democrats, with one House Democrat familiar with the conversations saying, “I’ve never seen a freakout like this.” But the House Democrat cautioned it’s unclear how seriously they’d push for Mr. Biden to step down from the 2024 ticket.
Mr. Biden and Trump were asked later in the debate to address concerns about their capability to be president at their age.
“I spent half of my career being criticized being the youngest person in politics. I was the second youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate and this guy’s three years younger and a lot less competent,” Mr. Biden said, telling voters to look at his record. “Look at what I’ve done.”
Trump, meanwhile, claimed he has passed two cognitive tests.
Mr. Biden’s sounded more energetic post-debate when he addressed supporters at a watch party, with his voice appearing to return with excitement.
Nancy Cordes and Ed O’Keefe contributed reporting.
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
President Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to one more showdown on the debate stage before the 2024 presidential election.
The September rematch will come after both candidates formally accept their party’s nomination. The first debate, hosted Thursday by CNN, came unusually early in the election season given that both are still the presumptive nominees before their party conventions.
When is the second presidential debate?
ABC News will host the second debate between President Biden and Donald Trump on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Who will moderate the next debate?
ABC News has yet to announce the moderators of the second debate.
The qualifications are similar to the first debate, making it unlikely that non-major party candidates will meet the ballot access and polling requirements to earn a spot on stage.
Candidates need to earn at least 15% support in four approved national polls and be on the ballot in enough states to be able to win 270 votes in the Electoral College — the threshold to win the presidency.
How many more debates will there be for 2024?
There are no more presidential debates scheduled before the election. Mr. Biden and Trump agreed to only two debates — one hosted by CNN and the other by ABC News.
They are bypassing the tradition of three meetings organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has overseen presidential debates since 1988. The commission’s three debates were scheduled to take place in September and October at universities in Texas, Virginia and Utah. This year’s debates were agreed upon without any involvement by the commission.
The commission met with sharp criticism by both Trump — who has accused the commission of being biased against Republicans — and by close advisers to Mr. Biden who view commission procedures as outmoded and fussy. The co-chair of the commission, Frank Fahrenkopf, told CBS News’ podcast “The Takeout” that top White House communications adviser Anita Dunn “doesn’t like us,” and he said on a Politico podcast that this was the reason Mr. Biden’s team went around the commission to negotiate directly with Trump’s campaign.
CBS News invited both campaigns to participate in a vice presidential debate on either July 23 or Aug. 13, which the Biden campaign accepted. Trump has yet to name a running mate.
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won’t be with his better-known rivals, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, when they debate Thursday in Atlanta.Video above: Previewing the first presidential debate of 2024And aside from a livestreamed response to the debate, he also has nothing on his public schedule for the coming weeks. Nor does his running mate, philanthropist Nicole Shanahan.After a busy spring hopscotching the country for a mix of political rallies, fundraisers and nontraditional campaign events, Kennedy appears to be taking a breather.Kennedy’s absence from the debate stage and the campaign trail carries risk for his insurgent quest to shake up the Republican and Democratic dominance of the U.S. political system. He lacks the money for a firehose of television commercials, and he must spend much of the money he does have to secure ballot access. Public appearances are a low-cost way to fire up supporters and drive media coverage he needs to stay relevant.Kennedy himself says he can’t win unless voters know he’s running and believe he can defeat Biden and Trump. That problem will become increasingly acute as the debate, followed by the major party conventions in July and August, push more voters to tune into the race.Video below: Voters share their thoughts ahead of Biden-Trump debateStill, Kennedy has maintained a steady stream of social media posts and he continues to sit for interviews, most recently with talk show host Dr. Phil.“Mr. Kennedy has a full schedule for July with many public events, mostly on the East Coast and including one big rally,” said Stefanie Spear, a Kennedy campaign spokesperson. “We will start announcing the events next week.”For Thursday’s debate on CNN, the network invited candidates who showed strength in four reliable polls and ballot access in enough states to win the presidency. Kennedy fell short on both requirements.He’s cried foul about the rules, accusing CNN of colluding with Biden and Trump in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission and threatening to sue.Sujat Desai, a 20-year-old student from Pleasanton, California who supports Kennedy, said Kennedy’s absence from the debate is a major hurdle for him to overcome.“I don’t think there’s any way to get awareness if you’re not on the debate stage,” Desai said. “I think it’s a pretty lethal blow not to be in this debate, and it would be detrimental not to be in the next.”Still, Desai said he won’t be dissuaded from voting for Kennedy even if he appears to be a longshot come November.“I think this is probably the strongest I’ve seen an independent candidate in a while, so I’ll give him that,” Desai said. “I think he’s definitely doing well. His policies are strong enough to win, I just don’t know if there’s awareness.”Video below: What’s different about Biden and Trump’s 2024 presidential debate?Kennedy plans to respond in real time to the same questions posed to Biden and Trump in a livestream.Independent and third-party candidates like Kennedy face supremely long odds, but Kennedy’s campaign has spooked partisans on both sides who fear he will tip the election against them. Biden supporters worry his famous Democratic name and his history of environmental advocacy will sway voters from the left. Trump supporters worry his idiosyncratic views, particularly his questioning of the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective, will appeal to people who might otherwise vote for Trump.Christy Jones, 54, a holistic health and mindfulness coach from Glendora, California, worries people won’t know Kennedy is running without him standing next to Biden and Trump at the debate. But she said he’s still all over her social media feeds and she’s confident he’s making himself visible.“I do feel like he could still win if people choose to be courageous,” she said. “If all the people that actually want change voted for him he would be in. People are asking for change.”Until recently, Kennedy’s website promoted a variety of events weeks or more in advance, including public rallies and private fundraisers. He held comedy nights with prominent comedians in Michigan and Tennessee.But since he went to the June 15 premiere of a film on combatting addiction, Kennedy has been dark, though he continues to promote in-person and virtual organizing events for his supporters.
PHOENIX —
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won’t be with his better-known rivals, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, when they debate Thursday in Atlanta.
Video above: Previewing the first presidential debate of 2024
And aside from a livestreamed response to the debate, he also has nothing on his public schedule for the coming weeks. Nor does his running mate, philanthropist Nicole Shanahan.
After a busy spring hopscotching the country for a mix of political rallies, fundraisers and nontraditional campaign events, Kennedy appears to be taking a breather.
Kennedy’s absence from the debate stage and the campaign trail carries risk for his insurgent quest to shake up the Republican and Democratic dominance of the U.S. political system. He lacks the money for a firehose of television commercials, and he must spend much of the money he does have to secure ballot access. Public appearances are a low-cost way to fire up supporters and drive media coverage he needs to stay relevant.
Kennedy himself says he can’t win unless voters know he’s running and believe he can defeat Biden and Trump. That problem will become increasingly acute as the debate, followed by the major party conventions in July and August, push more voters to tune into the race.
Video below: Voters share their thoughts ahead of Biden-Trump debate
Still, Kennedy has maintained a steady stream of social media posts and he continues to sit for interviews, most recently with talk show host Dr. Phil.
“Mr. Kennedy has a full schedule for July with many public events, mostly on the East Coast and including one big rally,” said Stefanie Spear, a Kennedy campaign spokesperson. “We will start announcing the events next week.”
For Thursday’s debate on CNN, the network invited candidates who showed strength in four reliable polls and ballot access in enough states to win the presidency. Kennedy fell short on both requirements.
He’s cried foul about the rules, accusing CNN of colluding with Biden and Trump in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission and threatening to sue.
Sujat Desai, a 20-year-old student from Pleasanton, California who supports Kennedy, said Kennedy’s absence from the debate is a major hurdle for him to overcome.
“I don’t think there’s any way to get awareness if you’re not on the debate stage,” Desai said. “I think it’s a pretty lethal blow not to be in this debate, and it would be detrimental not to be in the next.”
Still, Desai said he won’t be dissuaded from voting for Kennedy even if he appears to be a longshot come November.
“I think this is probably the strongest I’ve seen an independent candidate in a while, so I’ll give him that,” Desai said. “I think he’s definitely doing well. His policies are strong enough to win, I just don’t know if there’s awareness.”
Video below: What’s different about Biden and Trump’s 2024 presidential debate?
Kennedy plans to respond in real time to the same questions posed to Biden and Trump in a livestream.
Independent and third-party candidates like Kennedy face supremely long odds, but Kennedy’s campaign has spooked partisans on both sides who fear he will tip the election against them. Biden supporters worry his famous Democratic name and his history of environmental advocacy will sway voters from the left. Trump supporters worry his idiosyncratic views, particularly his questioning of the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective, will appeal to people who might otherwise vote for Trump.
Christy Jones, 54, a holistic health and mindfulness coach from Glendora, California, worries people won’t know Kennedy is running without him standing next to Biden and Trump at the debate. But she said he’s still all over her social media feeds and she’s confident he’s making himself visible.
“I do feel like he could still win if people choose to be courageous,” she said. “If all the people that actually want change voted for him he would be in. People are asking for change.”
Until recently, Kennedy’s website promoted a variety of events weeks or more in advance, including public rallies and private fundraisers. He held comedy nights with prominent comedians in Michigan and Tennessee.
But since he went to the June 15 premiere of a film on combatting addiction, Kennedy has been dark, though he continues to promote in-person and virtual organizing events for his supporters.
ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, will meet for a debate on Thursday that offers an unparalleled opportunity for both candidates to try to reshape the political narrative.
Biden, the Democratic incumbent, gets the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding the U.S. through a range of challenges. The 78-year-old Trump, meanwhile, could use the moment to try to move past his felony conviction in New York and convince an audience of tens of millions that he’s temperamentally suited to return to the Oval Office.
Biden and Trump enter the night facing fierce headwinds, including a public weary of the tumult of partisan politics. Both candidates are disliked by majorities of Americans, according to polling, and offer sharply different visions on virtually every core issue. Trump has promised sweeping plans to remake the U.S. government if he returns to the White House and Biden argues that his opponent would pose an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.
With just over four months until Election Day, their performances have the rare potential to alter the trajectory of the race. Every word and gesture will be parsed not just for what both men say but how they interact with each other and how they hold up under pressure.
“Debates tend not to change voters’ perception in ways that change their vote: They ordinarily reinforce, not persuade,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on presidential communications. “What makes this debate different is that you have in essence two incumbents about whom voters have very well-formed views. But that doesn’t mean that those perceptions are right or match what voters will see on stage.”
Thursday’s broadcast on CNN will be the earliest general election debate in history. It’s the first-ever televised general election presidential debate hosted by a single news outlet after both campaigns ditched the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which had organized every matchup since 1988.
Aiming to avoid a repeat of their chaotic 2020 matchups, Biden insisted — and Trump agreed — to hold the debate without an audience and to allow the network to mute the candidates’ microphones when it is not their turn to speak. There will be two commercial breaks, another departure from modern practice. The candidates have agreed not to consult staff or others while the cameras are off.
The timing follows moves by both candidates to respond to nationwide trends toward early voting by shifting forward the political calendar. It remains to be seen whether the advanced schedule will dampen the effects of any missteps or crystallize them in the public’s mind.
“You have two men that have not debated in four years,” said Phillippe Reines, a Democratic political consultant who helped former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepare for debates with Trump in 2016.
Biden and Trump, he said, “don’t like each other, haven’t seen each other, (are) pretty rusty heading into the biggest night of their lives. That about sums up what’s at stake on Thursday.”
Both sides recognize the stakes
The debate falls days after the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending a federally guaranteed right to abortion and pushing reproductive rights into the center of politics ever since.
The faceoff also occurs just after the Biden White House took executive action to restrict asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to lower the number of migrants entering the country. Trump has made illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign.
The wars in Ukraine and Gaza loom over the race, as do the candidates’ sharply differing views about America’s role in the world and its alliances. Differences on inflation, tax policy and government investment to build infrastructure and fight climate change will provide further contrasts.
Also in the political background: The Supreme Court is on the brink of announcing its decision on whether Trump is legally immune for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. That’s weeks after Trump was convicted in New York of taking part in a hush money scheme that prosecutors alleged was intended to unlawfully influence the 2016 election.
Biden spent the week leading up to the debate secluded at Camp David with senior White House and campaign aides as well as a coterie of longtime advisers and allies. A mock stage was built at the compound to simulate the studio where the debate will be held, and Biden’s personal attorney, Bob Bauer, was reprising his role as Trump in practice sessions.
Aides say the work reflects Biden’s understanding that he can’t afford a flat showing. They insist the sometimes stodgy orator would rise to the occasion.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued his more unstructured debate prep with two days of meetings at his Florida estate, phoning allies and supporters, and road-testing attacks in social media postings and in interviews with conservative-leaning outlets.
Trump and his aides have spent months chronicling what they argue are signs of Biden’s diminished stamina. In recent days, they’ve started to predict Biden will be stronger on Thursday, aiming to raise expectations for the incumbent.
The candidates have Georgia on their mind
Atlanta, the debate’s host city, offers symbolic and practical meaning for the campaign, but each side believes that what happens there will resonate far and wide.
In 2020, Biden secured Georgia’s 16 electoral votes with a margin of less than 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast. Trump pushed the state’s Republican leadership to overturn his victory based on false theories of voter fraud, memorably being caught on tape saying he wanted to “find 11,780 votes.” He now faces state racketeering charges.
Both campaigns held a flurry of events in Atlanta leading into the debate, including competing events at Black-owned local businesses. Trump called in Friday to a gathering at Rocky’s Barbershop in the Buckhead community to talk about his matchup with Biden and question whether CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash would treat him fairly.
Heading out of the debate, both Biden and Trump will travel to states they hope to swing their way this fall. Trump is heading to Virginia, a onetime battleground that has shifted toward Democrats in recent years.
Biden is set to jet off to North Carolina, where he is expected to hold the largest-yet rally of his campaign in a state Trump narrowly carried in 2020.
Biden, Trump to face off in historical presidential debate
Updated: 9:00 PM PDT Jun 26, 2024
Tonight’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump differs from any other in U.S. history. The first-ever debate between a sitting president and a former president, which begins at 9 p.m. ET, is also a matchup of the two oldest candidates in U.S. history. There will be no audience and the candidates’ microphones will be muted when it’s not their turn to speak.The debate is also the first since 1988 not sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, it’s being hosted by CNN and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.Lastly, tonight’s debate is the earliest in history. The prior record was Sept. 21, 1980.The last time Biden and Trump shared the stage was for their last debate on Oct. 22, 2020. Check back for live updates during tonight’s debate.
Tonight’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump differs from any other in U.S. history.
The first-ever debate between a sitting president and a former president, which begins at 9 p.m. ET, is also a matchup of the two oldest candidates in U.S. history.
The debate is also the first since 1988 not sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, it’s being hosted by CNN and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
Lastly, tonight’s debate is the earliest in history. The prior record was Sept. 21, 1980.
The last time Biden and Trump shared the stage was for their last debate on Oct. 22, 2020.
Check back for live updates during tonight’s debate.
Thursday’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be the first since 1988 to not be sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).The commission has been historically tasked with planning and producing every presidential debate, including choosing the site, selecting the moderators, establishing the rules and setting the dates. The decision to go around the bipartisan organization is a huge departure from tradition. It comes after both campaigns criticized some of CPD’s rules and the organization’s schedule.Trump’s contention with CPD goes back to his first presidential campaign in 2016. Trump blamed the commission for audio issues during one of his debates with Hillary Clinton, claiming CPD was biased against him.”The problem is that the so-called Commission on Presidential Debates is stacked with Trump Haters & Never Trumpers. 3 years ago they were forced to publicly apologize for modulating my microphone in the first debate against Crooked Hillary,” Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter, in 2019.In 2022, the Republican National Committee unanimously passed an amendment that prohibited GOP candidates from participating in debates produced by CPD, echoing Trump’s claims that the commission was unfair to the GOP.”Today, the RNC voted to withdraw from the biased CPD, and we are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people,” then-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.McDaniel also pointed to CPD’s debate schedule taking place too late in the year and its use of moderators who used to work for candidates as reasons for severing the relationship. Biden’s campaign agreed about the schedule, adding that past struggles to keep candidates from violating debate rules contributed to its dissatisfaction with the commission.“The Commission’s model of building huge spectacles with large audiences at great expense simply isn’t necessary or conducive to good debates,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote. “The debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home — not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors, who consume valuable debate time with noisy spectacles of approval or jeering.”In May, the two campaigns struck a deal to participate in two debates hosted by two news networks: CNN’s Thursday debate and ABC News’ Sept. 10 debate.On June 24, CPD terminated its contracts with the sites it had picked for its 2024 debate schedule. Adding, “CPD stands ready to sponsor 2024 debates should circumstances change.”CPD began hosting debates in 1988, succeeding the League of Women Voters, which sponsored presidential debates from 1976 to 1984.The omission of CPD from the 2024 debates puts the future of the nonprofit, bipartisan in doubt.
Thursday’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be the first since 1988 to not be sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
The commission has been historically tasked with planning and producing every presidential debate, including choosing the site, selecting the moderators, establishing the rules and setting the dates.
The decision to go around the bipartisan organization is a huge departure from tradition. It comes after both campaigns criticized some of CPD’s rules and the organization’s schedule.
Trump’s contention with CPD goes back to his first presidential campaign in 2016. Trump blamed the commission for audio issues during one of his debates with Hillary Clinton, claiming CPD was biased against him.
“The problem is that the so-called Commission on Presidential Debates is stacked with Trump Haters & Never Trumpers. 3 years ago they were forced to publicly apologize for modulating my microphone in the first debate against Crooked Hillary,” Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter, in 2019.
In 2022, the Republican National Committee unanimously passed an amendment that prohibited GOP candidates from participating in debates produced by CPD, echoing Trump’s claims that the commission was unfair to the GOP.
“Today, the RNC voted to withdraw from the biased CPD, and we are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people,” then-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.
McDaniel also pointed to CPD’s debate schedule taking place too late in the year and its use of moderators who used to work for candidates as reasons for severing the relationship.
Biden’s campaign agreed about the schedule, adding that past struggles to keep candidates from violating debate rules contributed to its dissatisfaction with the commission.
“The Commission’s model of building huge spectacles with large audiences at great expense simply isn’t necessary or conducive to good debates,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote. “The debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home — not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors, who consume valuable debate time with noisy spectacles of approval or jeering.”
In May, the two campaigns struck a deal to participate in two debates hosted by two news networks: CNN’s Thursday debate and ABC News’ Sept. 10 debate.
On June 24, CPD terminated its contracts with the sites it had picked for its 2024 debate schedule. Adding, “CPD stands ready to sponsor 2024 debates should circumstances change.”
CPD began hosting debates in 1988, succeeding the League of Women Voters, which sponsored presidential debates from 1976 to 1984.
The omission of CPD from the 2024 debates puts the future of the nonprofit, bipartisan in doubt.
Former President Donald Trump will get the final word when he debates President Joe Biden on CNN next week, after a coin flip to determine podium placement and the order of closing statements.The coin landed on the Biden campaign’s pick — tails — which meant his campaign got to choose whether it wanted to select the president’s podium position or the order of closing statements.Biden’s campaign chose to select the right podium position, which means the Democratic president will be on the right side of television viewers’ screens and his Republican rival will be on viewers’ left.Trump’s campaign then chose for the former president to deliver the last closing statement, which means Biden will go first at the conclusion of the debate.Biden and Trump are set to make history on June 27 in the first presidential debate between an incumbent and a former president. It will also be the first debate since 2020 featuring either Biden, who did not face a serious challenge for the Democratic nomination, or Trump, who skipped those held during the Republican primary race.CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the 90-minute showdown in Atlanta. Both candidates have accepted the network’s invitation and agreed to accept the rules and format of the debate, as outlined in letters sent to the campaigns by the network in May.For Trump, delivering the final closing statement in CNN’s debate is a notable difference from his New York criminal trial and conviction last month. He seethed during the hush money case that his lawyer wouldn’t get the last word — even though prosecutors delivering the final remarks in a trial is common practice.”WHY IS THE CORRUPT GOVERNMENT ALLOWED TO MAKE THE FINAL ARGUMENT IN THE CASE AGAINST ME? WHY CAN’T THE DEFENSE GO LAST? BIG ADVANTAGE, VERY UNFAIR. WITCH HUNT,” the former president wrote on Truth Social.The debate qualification window closed just after midnight Thursday, with only Biden and Trump meeting the constitutional, polling and ballot qualification requirements CNN laid out in May.The debate will include two commercial breaks, according to the network, and campaign staff may not interact with their candidate during that time. The candidates agreed to appear at a uniform podium. Microphones will be muted throughout the debate except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. While no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on the stage, candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
Former President Donald Trump will get the final word when he debates President Joe Biden on CNN next week, after a coin flip to determine podium placement and the order of closing statements.
The coin landed on the Biden campaign’s pick — tails — which meant his campaign got to choose whether it wanted to select the president’s podium position or the order of closing statements.
Biden’s campaign chose to select the right podium position, which means the Democratic president will be on the right side of television viewers’ screens and his Republican rival will be on viewers’ left.
Trump’s campaign then chose for the former president to deliver the last closing statement, which means Biden will go first at the conclusion of the debate.
Biden and Trump are set to make history on June 27 in the first presidential debate between an incumbent and a former president. It will also be the first debate since 2020 featuring either Biden, who did not face a serious challenge for the Democratic nomination, or Trump, who skipped those held during the Republican primary race.
CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the 90-minute showdown in Atlanta. Both candidates have accepted the network’s invitation and agreed to accept the rules and format of the debate, as outlined in letters sent to the campaigns by the network in May.
For Trump, delivering the final closing statement in CNN’s debate is a notable difference from his New York criminal trial and conviction last month. He seethed during the hush money case that his lawyer wouldn’t get the last word — even though prosecutors delivering the final remarks in a trial is common practice.
“WHY IS THE CORRUPT GOVERNMENT ALLOWED TO MAKE THE FINAL ARGUMENT IN THE CASE AGAINST ME? WHY CAN’T THE DEFENSE GO LAST? BIG ADVANTAGE, VERY UNFAIR. WITCH HUNT,” the former president wrote on Truth Social.
The debate qualification window closed just after midnight Thursday, with only Biden and Trump meeting the constitutional, polling and ballot qualification requirements CNN laid out in May.
The debate will include two commercial breaks, according to the network, and campaign staff may not interact with their candidate during that time. The candidates agreed to appear at a uniform podium. Microphones will be muted throughout the debate except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. While no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on the stage, candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Raleigh City Council is debating Tuesday whether to allow motorized vehicles back into parades.
City staff have been working for the past year on new parade safety requirements, teaming up with public safety officials for some of the largest and most complex parades across the country.
Among those recommendations are:
Having vehicle owners provide proof of a safety check by a qualified mechanic within 30 days of the event
Every float must be inspected to ensure there are no trip hazards and have adequate fall prevention like handrails
Maintain a reasonable distance between vehicles and parade participants
WATCH | Raleigh City Council work on new parade safety requirements
City staff have been working for the past year on new parade safety requirements and recommendations
The ban on cars and floats happened last year after the death of 11-year-old Hailey Brooks. She was a young dancer struck and killed during the city’s 2022 Christmas parade.
The public had an opportunity to weigh in on the recommendations through an online survey that went live earlier this month.
People can also listen on Tuesday during the city council work session.
