U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump will square off on Thursday in Atlanta in the first of two televised presidential debates leading up to this fall’s U.S. election.
CBC News will bring the Canadian perspective to the historic rematch. Here’s how to watch:
CBC News Network will carry a simulcast of the CNN presidential debate live at 9 p.m. ET. In Canada, the 90-minute debate will also be simulcast on CBC News Explore, which is also available on CBC Gem.
Watch pre-debate coverage on Canada Tonight with Travis Dhanraj at 7 p.m. ET.
Join CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault for analysis at 8:30 p.m. ET before the debate and also afterward at 10:30 p.m. And stay with The National for full coverage, featuring CBC’s Paul Hunter live in Washington and Katie Simpson in Atlanta.
Follow CBCNews.ca for the latest, including analysis, from CBC’s Alexander Panetta in Washington.
Rules of the debate
This first matchup between the Democratic president and Republican challenger takes place months earlier than usual, with both Biden and Trump having agreed to the format and a new series of ground rules, designed to maintain order and avoid a repeat of the unruly first debate of the 2020 U.S. presidential cycle.
Breaking tradition from previous debates, there will be no live studio audience. A coin flip will determine lectern positions and the order of closing statements. There will be no opening statements.
Candidates will have two minutes to answer questions, with one minute granted for rebuttals and responses to rebuttals. A flashing red light will alert the speaker when their time is up.
Microphones will be muted, unless it is a participant’s turn to speak, to ensure each candidate’s allotted time and to minimize interruption.
No props or prepared notes are allowed, but the candidates will each receive a pen, paper and a bottle of water. No interaction from campaign staff will be permitted from either side during the debate.
The second in-person debate that the candidates have agreed to will be hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. The U.S. election takes place on Nov. 5.
WATCH | Looking ahead to the Biden-Trump debate on Rosemary Barton Live: