How to Watch Live the First Presidential Debate
Donald Trump and Joe Biden will meet in Cleveland tomorrow night for the first presidential debate of the 2020 election season. Whether you’re watching purely for the show, or still not sure who gets your vote for some reason, the debate is likely to make at least an unusual 90 minutes of TV. Here’s what you need to know about the debate and how to watch it live.
What you need to know about the first presidential debate
The first presidential debate between Trump and Biden will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, September 29, from 9:30 am to 10:30 pm ET at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday, will be the moderator. Wallace chose the following six topics, each of which will take approximately 15 minutes to cover , according to NPR :
- Trump and Biden records
- Supreme Court
- COVID-19
- Economy
- Race and urban violence in the United States
- Electoral integrity
What is included and what is not in these topics has already sparked controversy: 36 Democratic senators signed a letter requesting that climate change be included in the debate, according to NPR. Others have expressed concern about combining race and violence into one group, noting that this brings together issues.
And given Trump’s recent remarks that he won’t go for a peaceful handover if he loses the election, the final part of the election integrity debate is likely to be … interesting, to say the least.
How to watch live the first presidential debate
Watching the debate should be pretty easy, even for those without a cable. It will air live on most major networks and cable news channels including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and C-SPAN. You can alsostream the debate live on YouTube , or listen to or watch on NPR .
When is the upcoming debate?
We already have a full debate schedule for this campaign season, so you can bookmark your calendars now if you plan to follow along. Here is the time for the second and third presidential and VP debates, courtesy of CNET :
Vice presidential debate
- Date: Wednesday 7 October
- Location: University of Utah at Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Times: 9 am to 10:30 pm ET (6 pm to 7:30 pm PT)
- Moderator: Susan Page, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief
Second presidential debate
- Date: Thursday 15 October
- Location: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.
- Times: 9 am to 10:30 pm ET (6 pm to 7:30 pm PT)
- Moderator: Steve Scully, C-SPAN Policy Editor
Third presidential debate
- Date: Thursday 22 October
- Location: Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Times: 9 am to 10:30 pm ET (6 pm to 7:30 pm PT)
- Moderator: Kristen Welker, White House Correspondent for NBC News