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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are about to square off on a debate stage for the first time in this election.
Thursday’s 90-minute debate, which will start at 9 p.m. ET, will air on CNN channels and will also be simulcast on MSNBC — where prime-time coverage with Rachel Maddow and others will kick off at 7 p.m. — and other major networks. In addition, my MSNBC colleagues and I will be live-blogging the event throughout the day at MSNBC.com, where you’ll be able to stream the debate for free.
Follow the latest news on the first 2024 presidential debate
The debate will take place in CNN’s Atlanta studios — without a live audience — and will be moderated by network anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
Thursday’s 90-minute debate, which will start at 9 p.m. ET, will air on CNN channels and will be simulcast on MSNBC — where prime-time coverage with Rachel Maddow and others will kick off at 7 p.m. — and other major networks.
The debate came together last month after the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to bypass the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates and set up faceoffs with TV networks directly. A second debate, to be aired by ABC News, is scheduled for Sept. 10.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not meet CNN’s criteria to be on stage Thursday.
In past debates, moderators have struggled to deal with Trump’s barrage of misleading remarks and diversion tactics. The Biden campaign has urged debate moderators to be alert in calling out Trump’s lies on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign have sought to lower expectations by suggesting Biden is taking performance-enhancing drugs and — following a long-standing pattern — by criticizing the moderators.