Joe Biden and Donald Trump Prepare for CNN Debate: Who Gets the Last Word?

Atlanta, Georgia, USA United States of America
Both campaigns are preparing for the debate with Biden huddling at Camp David and Trump holding policy meetings.
CNN debate will take place on June 27 in Atlanta and will be simulcast on ABC and ABC News Live. No opening statements, two commercial breaks, no studio audience.
Joe Biden won the coin toss for CNN debate and chose podium position on the right side of the stage, giving Donald Trump the last closing statement.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump Prepare for CNN Debate: Who Gets the Last Word?

Updates From Our Reporters

June 20, 2024, 3:59 p.m. ET

Joe Biden won the coin toss for CNN debate and chose podium position on the right side of the stage during the CNN debate next week, but by doing so gave Donald Trump the final closing statement of the 90-minute matchup.

According to CNN, the coin landed on tails -- the side chosen by the Biden campaign. The team then got to choose between podium placement or the order of closing arguments, picking to have Biden be on the right side of television and computer screens but deliver his closing statement first.

Trump’s podium will be on the left side, and will have the last word by delivering his closing statement after Biden.

The 90-minute CNN debate, starting at 9 p.m. ET, will take place on June 27 in Atlanta. It is the first of two debates between Biden and Trump, the second taking place on Sept. 10 and hosted by ABC News.

The CNN debate is being simulcast on ABC and ABC News Live with pre-coverage beginning at 8 p.m ET on the network and 7 p.m ET on ABCNL.

Earlier this week, other rules were announced by CNN such as muting the candidates’ microphone unless it is their turn to speak and allowing no props, only pen, paper and a bottle of water.

There will be no opening statements, two commercial breaks and no studio audience.

Biden and Trump will be given two minutes to answer questions posed by moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, followed by one minute each to respond and rebut. There will be a red light flashing to indicate to candidates they have five seconds remaining of their allotted time. When their time is over, the light will turn solid red.

Joe Biden speaks, as President Donald Trump, left, listens during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Oct. 22, 2020.

Morry Gash/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

With exactly a week to go until the debate, both campaigns are beginning to prepare.

President Biden will huddle at Camp David with former chief of staff Ron Klain and other longtime advisers and aides.

Trump is holding policy meetings with advisers and congressional allies on issues like immigration, the economy and democracy. He’ll also campaign in Philadelphia over the weekend and attend fundraisers next week.

Biden and Trump will be the only candidates on stage after the qualification window closed at midnight, CNN said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., running as an independent, fell short of meeting the network’s polling and ballot access requirements. He called his exclusion from the stage “undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly.”

ABC News' Isabella Murray and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.



Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Are there any specific topics that have been announced for the debate?
  • Is it confirmed that there will be no interruptions during the debate?

Sources

97%

  • Unique Points
    • Joe Biden won the coin toss for CNN debate and chose podium position on right side of stage
    • Donald Trump will have the last word with closing statement after Biden
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

  • Unique Points
    • Trump expressed frustration during his New York criminal trial that his lawyer wouldn’t get the last word.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

  • Unique Points
    • Both candidates’ microphones will be muted until it is their turn to speak during the debate and they won’t be allowed to interact with campaign staff during commercial breaks.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

  • Unique Points
    • The CNN Presidential Debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump will have new rules to avoid chaotic scenes and frequent interruptions.
    • Joe Biden won the coin toss for CNN debate and chose podium position on right side of stage
    • Trump’s campaign chose for him to deliver the last closing statement.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

  • Unique Points
    • Donald J. Trump is expected to attend a watch party in Atlanta after next week’s debate where potential running mates, including Doug Burgum, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance, Elise Stefanik and Byron Donalds, will be present.
    • Tim Scott did not explicitly discuss the vice presidency at his summit but endorsed Trump in January and had Trump-friendly billionaires speak at the event.
    • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called his exclusion from next week’s CNN presidential debate ‘undemocratic, un-American and cowardly’ and is organizing a protest outside the network’s studios.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication