President Trump and Joe Biden clashed in their first chaotic, insult-laden in-person debate in Cleveland on September 29 for the first of three debates before Election Day. Interruptions and name-calling so dominated the debate that the commission governing the presidential debates plans to make changes to the rules before the two candidates meet again. There are two remaining debates for Mr. Trump and Biden to debate the merits of their respective visions of the next four years for the country.
Within one week of the first debate, the coronavirus infiltrated the White House, infecting the president and at least 12 people in his orbit. After a four day stay at Walter Reed Medical Center, Mr. Trump returned to the White House and immediately ignited controversy by declaring that the nation shouldn’t fear COVID-19. “Don’t be afraid of it,” he said of the virus. The U.S. has surpassed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, and the virus is still a menace nearly seven months into the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the deaths of Black people at the hands of police have stirred long-present social unrest. Last month, Kentucky’s attorney general announced that no officers would be indicted for their roles in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, again drawing protesters to the streets. This week, a White police officer in Texas who shot and killed Jonathan Price, an unarmed Black man, was arrested Monday and charged with murder. The officer posted $1 million bond within hours of his arrest.
Mr. Trump announced the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. She’s been meeting with Republican senators at the Capitol. Her expected confirmation will solidify the court’s 6-3 conservative majority, and potentially threaten the future of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that established abortion rights nearly 50 years ago. Also at risk is the nation’s health care law, the Affordable Care Act, which is the subject of a Supreme Court case that will be heard a week after Election Day.
Add to all of this the layer of smoke created by unprecedented wildfires on America’s West Coast. The fires, which have burned over three million acres just in California, are breaking records because existing risk factors have been exacerbated by climate change.
How to watch the presidential debates
- Mobile: CBSN streaming on the CBS News apps CBS News for Android and CBS News for iOS and on CBSNews.com On TV: CBS television affiliates or on CBSN streaming on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Xbox OneAll debates will begin at 9 p.m. ET and run for 90 minutes without commercial interruption, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates
First debate: September 29
Location: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
Moderator: “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace.
Format: The debate was “divided into six segments of approximately 15 minutes each.” Wallace chose six topics for questions:
- The Trump and Biden RecordsThe Supreme CourtCOVID-19The EconomyRace and Violence in our CitiesThe Integrity of the Election
The candidates were instructed to stick to the subject of the question “in order to encourage deep discussion of the leading issues facing the country.” The debate descended into chaos almost immediately.
President Trump took every opportunity to speak over the former vice president, while Wallace struggled to maintain control over the president or his Democratic rival. He repeatedly admonished Mr. Trump for speaking over Biden and disregarding the rules both sides had agreed to.
At one point, an exasperated Biden asked Mr. Trump, “Will you shut up, man?” The comment proved emblematic of the tumultuous nature of the debate.
The resulting 90 minutes left most voters feeling annoyed, and did little to sway a divided nation. According to a CBS News survey, 48% said Biden won, while 41% thought Mr. Trump was the winner. Biden’s margin is not very different than his lead in national polls.
Voters overwhelmingly called the debate’s tone negative, and just 17% said they found it informative. In response, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that it is implementing changes to bring decorum back to the remaining debates.
“Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues,” the CPD said in a statement Wednesday. “The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly.”
The commission has yet to announce official changes, but a source familiar with its deliberations told CBS News that it plans to cut off the microphones of each candidate if they break the rules. The plans have not been finalized and the commission is still considering how it would carry out the plan.
Vice presidential debate: October 7
The sole vice presidential debate will take place on Wednesday, October 7, between Democratic Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence.
Location: The University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Moderator: Susan Page of USA Today
Format: Also 90 minutes in length, Harris and Pence will tackle nine segments of approximately 10 minutes each. “The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond,” according to CPD. “The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.”
Harris and Pence will be separated by plexiglass to provide additional protection from COVID-19 infection. The precaution was requested by the Biden-Harris campaign — the Trump-Pence campaign opposed the barrier. The vice president’s communications director, Katie Miller, said in response to the request, “If Sen. Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it,” according to Politico.
According to CPD, the candidates will also be COVID tested prior to the debate, and there will be no handshake, or physical greeting, between the candidates or the moderator. Once on stage, the candidates will be 12’3″ apart, with plexiglass between them, and will not wear masks.
Harris’ long career as a prosecutor has brought her criticism, but also prepared her well for the debate stage. She made headlines during the Democratic presidential debates for giving as good as she got, even blasting the man who is now at the top of the ticket, Joe Biden.
Vice President Pence said on Fox News’ “Hannity” in August that he was excited about debating Harris. “I think she is a skilled debater, but I can’t wait to get to Salt Lake City and be on the stage — whether to compare Joe Biden’s nearly 50 years in public life, the agenda of the radical left, the agenda that she’s embraced throughout her political career — with the results of this president and this administration,” Pence told host Sean Hannity.
Second presidential debate: October 15
The second presidential debate is scheduled to take place a week later on Thursday October 15. Joe Biden on Monday said he is open to debating the Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week — if it is deemed safe to do so.
The Trump campaign has said the president intends to participate, but his health may require the debate to be rescheduled or canceled. The CDC recommends people who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate for at least 10 days after symptoms first appear, and those who came in contact with them to quarantine for two weeks. The White House has said Mr. Trump first tested positive for COVID-19 on October 1, giving him exactly two weeks until the next debate.
The president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, has said that Mr. Trump is being monitored for when he no longer has the “live virus” and is infectious. “Routinely we talk about a 10-day window, you know CDC guidelines, but we’re checking him more routinely than just waiting 10 days,” Conley said.
Location: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami
Moderator: Steve Scully of C-SPAN
Format: This debate will be a town-hall style event.
“The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which the questions will be posed by citizens from the South Florida area,” according to CPD. “The candidates will have two minutes to respond to each question and there will be an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate further discussion. The town meeting participants will be uncommitted voters selected under the supervision of Dr. Frank Newport, Senior Scientist, Gallup.”
Third presidential debate: October 22
The third and final debate will take place on October 22, less than two weeks before Election Day.
Location: Belmont University, Nashville
Moderator: Kristen Welker, the debate series’ only woman journalist, is a White House Correspondent for NBC News, as well as co-anchor of “Weekend TODAY.”
Format: The format will be identical to the first presidential debate
“As always, the moderators alone will select the questions to be asked, which are not known to the CPD or to the candidates,” according to CPD. “The moderators will have the ability both to extend the segments and to ensure that the candidates have equal speaking time. While the focus will properly be on the candidates, the moderator will regulate the conversation so that thoughtful and substantive exchanges occur.”