The first presidential debate between the two major candidates of the 2020 US Presidential Elections - Democratic Party's Joe Biden versus Republican candidate and incumbent US President Donald Trump -- will be held today (i.e. September 29, Tuesday), at 9 PM local time. Earlier, DNA India had compiled an explainer on the five things to look out for ahead of the first Trump-Biden debate on Tuesday.
Here are all details about the first 2020 US Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden:
Time
The first debate is scheduled to be held on September 29 (Tuesday) from 9 PM to 10:30 PM ET local time. In India, this translates to September 30 (Wednesday), from 6:30 AM to 8AM IST.
Venue
The first debate will take place at the Samson Pavillion of the Health Education Campus (HEC) shared by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The University of Notre Dame was originally supposed to host the debate but it cited the coronavirus pandemic and withdrew later.
Moderator
The first Trump-Biden debate will be moderated by Chris Wallace, an American television anchor and journalist at Fox News. He is the news anchor for the program 'Fox News Sunday' and is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, the renowned 60 Minutes journalist Mike Wallace.
According to a 2018 poll, Chris Wallace was ranked as being one of the most trusted TV News Anchors in America. He made history when he was chosen to moderate the final 2016 United States Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, this being the first for a Fox News journalist, and is known for his skills as a Presidential debate moderator.
Format
The first presidential debate will be divided into six segments, each of approximately 15 minutes in length, with the moderator introducing a topic and giving each candidate two minutes, followed by a facilitated discussion between the two candidates, with both candidates receiving approximately equal time.
Topics of debate
- Trump's and Biden's records
- The Supreme Court
- COVID-19 pandemic
- The economy
- Race and violence in U.S. cities
- The integrity of the election
Other Debates Planned
Oct. 7, 2020: Vice-Presidential (VP) debate between Vice President Mike Pence and California Senator Kamala Harris at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, moderated by Susan Page of USA Today.
Oct. 15, 2020: Second 2020 US presidential election debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, moderated by Steve Scully of C-SPAN.
Oct. 22, 2020: Third 2020 US presidential election debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC.
