Trump to get final word at CNN debate after coin flip

Nick Robertson

June 20, 2024 at 12:31 p.m.·1 min read

Former President Trump will have the final word in next week’s first presidential debate after a coin toss, CNN announced Thursday.

The Biden campaign won the coin toss, selecting tails, and choosing to pick the president’s standing position instead of reserving a speaking slot. Biden will stand on the right side of the stage from the viewer’s perspective, and Trump the left.

Trump’s campaign decided to select to speak last, meaning Biden will be the first to give his closing argument.

Biden and Trump will be the only two candidates on the debate stage next Thursday night in Atlanta, CNN announced. Anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper have been selected as the moderators.

It’s the first of two debates agreed to by the candidates, and it will features a slate of new rules.

Microphones will be muted throughout the debate except when it’s that candidate’s turn to speak. The moderators will also be able to “use all tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion,” per the rules.

There also will be no studio audience, unlike debates in the past.

The 2020 election’s debates were marred by interruptions and arguing, with moderators having difficulty with reining in Biden or Trump. The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman said Wednesday that Trump has acknowledged multiple times that he interrupted Biden “too much” during their first 2020 debate.

Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not qualify for the debate stage, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday over her exclusion.

The second debate will be hosted by ABC on Sept. 10.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

HuffPost
Newsmax Slaps Very Awkward Note On Screen During Donald Trump Interview
Critics on social media suggested the chyron meant one thing.
The Independent
‘This party should fall’: MAGA candidate who didn’t win Boebert’s old seat calls Republican Party ‘irredeemable’
Volunteers and supporters of grassroots Colorado Republican Ron Hanks, who’d hoped to fill the congressional seat vacated by fellow MAGA diehard Lauren Boebert, gathered Tuesday night at a Grand Junction brewery for a watch party. Hanks lamented the results — and the state of the Republican Party. Sheila Flynn reports from the third congressional district
The Independent
Trump goes off on Biden in early morning screed ahead of debate: ‘Man is a walking LYING MACHINE’
Trump lied 30,573 times with an average of 21 false claims a day, while in office, according to one analysis
HuffPost
Audio Of Trump Talking About Taylor Swift's Looks Is Creeping Everyone TF Out
The former president used one word five times when describing the pop icon.
HuffPost
Chris Wallace's Stunning Claim On Trump Strategy For Debate Cracks Up CNN Pundit
Wallace's claim about the former president's planned approach was too much for Jamie Gangel, who repeatedly laughed.
The Independent
Hillary Clinton warns of Trump’s debate stage chaos: ‘He starts with nonsense and then digresses into blather’
Hillary Clinton slammed Donald Trump, saying ‘expectations for him are so low that if he doesn’t literally light himself on fire on Thursday evening, some will say he was downright presidential’
HuffPost
Social Media Predicts Outcome Of Trump-Biden Debate — And It's Hilarious
Pundits and politicians aren’t the only ones offering their hot takes on how Thursday’s CNN event will go.
Bloomberg
‘This Changes Everything’: Trudeau Stung by Loss in Toronto
(Bloomberg) -- Canada’s Conservative Party won a special election in a district in central Toronto, dealing a substantial blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party ahead of a national vote expected next year.Most Read from BloombergYouTuber Dr Disrespect Was Allegedly Kicked Off Twitch for Messaging MinorVW Latches Onto Rivian in $5 Billion EV Pact to Regain MomentumTrump Could Actually Lose Florida. Here’s Why.Nvidia Rout Takes Breather as Traders Scour Charts for SupportJulian Assa
USA TODAY
Monica Lewinsky wants Judge Aileen Cannon overseeing Trump classified docs case impeached
Monica Lewinsky said she hopes Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case, is impeached.
HuffPost
Melania Trump's Living Situation Will Change If Donald Trump Wins, Experts Predict
The former first lady could have a different relationship with the White House if she returns.
HuffPost
Trump Literally Phones It In To Black Voter Event, Makes Wild 'Number One' Claim
Critics slammed the former president for his "insulting" attempt to appeal to Black voters.
The Daily Beast
No, Donald, Barron Trump’s Peloton at Mar-a-Lago Is Not Off Limits to the Feds
In their latest push to toss out evidence in Donald Trump’s classified documents case, the former president’s lawyers complained Tuesday that the 2022 raid at Mar-a-Lago was “overly broad” and violated Trump’s rights because FBI agents dared to enter his son Barron and wife Melania’s rooms.“Our argument is that agents searched rooms that they had no probable cause to search…And that bears on the question of whether the search was impermissibly broad for Fourth Amendment purposes,” defense attorn
PA Media: UK News
Urgent need to investigate Trump’s business assets in Scotland, say Greens
Patrick Harvie pointed to the New York civil case against the former US President as he renewed calls for an investigation.
HuffPost
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Swiftly Takes Down Trump With Blunt Biden Comparison
Walz stacked the two candidates up against each other on the eve of the first presidential debate.
Business Insider
US Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine surfaces off Norway in unusual flex as 'Doomsday' plane flies overhead
The show of force comes amid continued tensions with Russia and follows the recent visit of a Russian navy flotilla to Cuba.
The Canadian Press
Enough signatures collected to force recall election for Wisconsin GOP leader, commission says
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Supporters of former President Donald Trump submitted 16 more valid signatures than needed to force a recall election of Wisconsin’s top elected Republican depending on what district the recall should be held in, based on a review by the state elections commission released Tuesday.
HuffPost
Contestant's Reaction Says It All In 'Daily Show' Trump Spelling Bee Spoof
You can't refute it.
The Canadian Press
Sheri Biggs wins Republican nod for US House in South Carolina over Trump-backed candidate
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sheri Biggs, a nurse practitioner and Air National Guard officer, won the Republican nomination for the U.S. House in South Carolina’s 3rd District on Tuesday, defeating a challenger who called himself former President Donald Trump's pastor.
The Daily Beast
Trump’s Endorsement Didn’t Help These Candidates One Bit
Republican candidates endorsed by Donald Trump were dealt primary defeats in several states on Tuesday night in the latest losses for the former president’s preferred choices this year. The convicted felon and presumptive GOP presidential nominee saw his candidates come up short in Utah, South Carolina, and Colorado, despite his unrivaled influence over the party. The results follow other recent losses for Trump-backed candidates, showing that the endorsement many Republicans dream of doesn’t al
The Canadian Press
Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorses Biden, whose campaign wants to flip anti-Trump Republicans
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorsed President Joe Biden on Wednesday, giving the Democrat a prominent new ally in his high-stakes campaign to win over moderate Republicans and independents this fall.

Latest Stories