Trump and Biden’s mics to be MUTED while opponent gives answers during final presidential debate to cut interruptions – The Sun

PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will have their mics muted in Thursday's debate while their rival delivers their opening two-minute answer to each topic.

News of the rule change comes three days before the final presidential debate, which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Commission of Presidential Debates made the announcement in a statement on Monday evening.

The commission's statement read: "Both campaigns this week again reaffirmed their agreement to the two-minute, uninterrupted rule. The Commission is announcing today that in order to enforce this agreed upon rule, the only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor under the rules.

"For the balance of each segment, which by design is intended to be dedicated to open discussion, both candidates’ microphones will be open."

The announcement comes after the first presidential debate was widely criticized for candidates shouting over top of one another – particularly Trump, who often went on the offensive and even talked over host Chris Wallace.

CANDIDATES MUTED

On Monday evening, the Trump campaign said it opposed the changes, saying that "regardless of last minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide advantage to their favored candidate."

Earlier in the month, the campaign also criticized the commission for considering such a rule change.

The commission, however, said it understands the changes might not be for everything, adding: “One may think they go too far, and one may think they do not go far enough. We are comfortable that these actions strike the right balance and that they are in the interest of the American people, for whom these debates are held."

Thursday's debate was supposed to be the third contest between Trump and Biden, but due to the president's positive COVID-19 diagnosis, the second debate was cancelled.

Instead, a pair of town halls were hosted on NBC, with Trump, and ABC, who interviewed Biden.

This week's debate will be moderated by NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker and will be split into six 15-minute segments.

After each candidate has had two uninterrupted minutes to answer a question on a given topic an open debate will take place.

On Monday, the Trump campaign stressed that it hopes the debate will focus on foreign policy – potentially alluding to a focus on Biden's dealings with foreign powers while Vice President, which have come under criticism from Trump in the past.

Campaign manager Bill Stepien wrote: “As is the long-standing custom, and as has been promised by the Commission on Presidential Debates, we had expected that foreign policy would be the central focus of the October 22 debate. We urge you to recalibrate the topics and return to subjects which had already been confirmed.

“The Commission’s pro-Biden antics have turned the entire debate season into a fiasco and it is little wonder why the public has lost faith in its objectivity."

Meanwhile, the Biden campaign said such an approach is a diversion tactic from the Trump campaign, who are hoping to turn the focus away from answering questions about Trump's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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