President Biden won a coin toss, giving him the choice to select his podium or decide the order of closing statements in the upcoming presidential debate. Former President Donald J. Trump will have the final say in the debate, speaking last after losing the coin toss to President Biden’s campaign.
President Biden chose to pick his podium and will be positioned on the right side of viewers’ screens during the debate. This decision marks a change from their previous debates in the 2020 election, where President Biden stood to the left of Mr. Trump. The reasoning behind this choice was not immediately provided by President Biden’s campaign.
During the 2008 and 2012 vice-presidential debates, President Biden was positioned on the left side of viewers’ screens. The upcoming debate will last for 90 minutes, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time, with two commercial breaks. Both candidates will be standing throughout the debate, and they are not allowed to interact with their campaign staff during breaks.
Microphones will only be turned on when each candidate is speaking, a condition requested by President Biden’s team. In the 2020 debate, President Biden famously told Mr. Trump to “shut up, man” after being interrupted multiple times. Unlike previous debates, there will be no live audience present at the upcoming debate, a request made by President Biden’s campaign.
CNN confirmed that the debate will be a one-on-one event between President Biden and Mr. Trump, as independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not meet the participation requirements. Reid J. Epstein contributed to the reporting of this article.