It might seem like the presidential election is still a long way off. Summer only began last week. But it’s coming fast.
The Republican National Convention starts in three weeks, on July 15. Californians will begin early voting for the Nov. 5 election in a little more than three months. And the first major event of the general election campaign — a high-stakes debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump — is set for Thursday.
Polls show the race is very close. Audiences for previous debates have been huge. The country is polarized.
A wildcard now is Trump’s conviction last month by a New York jury on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in a scheme to pay hush money before the 2016 election to a porn actress who said they had an affair. And with the two oldest candidates in U.S. history squaring off, with Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, experts say slip-ups or stumbles could play a greater role than in the past.
“A lot of this is going to be about appearance, not the criteria by which high school debates are judged,” said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College. “And I say this having judged many high school debates.”
Many experts expect it to be a brawl.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have my hazmat suit on,” said Larry Gerston, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University.
When is the debate?
The first presidential debate of the 2024 election, and the first time Trump and Biden have squared off on the same stage in four years, is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT Thursday.
Where is the debate?
The 90-minute event will be held at CNN studios in Atlanta. The moderators will be Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. Bash, 53, is host of Inside Politics and co-anchor of State of the Union, both programs on CNN. Tapper, 55, is CNN’s lead Washington anchor and co-host of State of the Union.
How can I watch it?
The debate will be broadcast live on CNN, along with CNN International and CNN en Español. CNN is allowing other networks to air it live if they use CNN’s logo on the screen. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox News, Univision, NewsNation, C-SPAN and others have agreed.
What if I don’t have a TV?
Viewers also can watch on CNN.com, NPR.org, YouTube or the streaming platform Max on their computers, tablets or phones.
Will other candidates, like Robert Kennedy Jr., be there?
No. To participate in the debate, CNN required candidates from all political parties to have qualified to appear on enough state ballots to win at least the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the election, and to have reached at least 15% in four national polls. Although he has met the 15% threshold in three national polls that CNN recognizes, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has so far turned in enough verified signatures to qualify for the ballot in only six states — California, Michigan, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah — far short of the …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
