--- title: How to Watch CNN's Presidential Debate description: Details for how to tune in to the first 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on June 27, hosted by CNN. canonical: https://time.com/6989804/how-to-watch-presidential-debate-cnn/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-06-25T11:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:02.573Z article:section: Politics og:title: How to Watch the CNN Presidential Debate og:description: Details for how to tune in to the first 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on June 27, hosted by CNN. og:url: https://time.com/6989804/how-to-watch-presidential-debate-cnn/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4eae1110147f892e/698a57e909208f6c1641d463/GettyImages-1229229864.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Final U.S. Presidential Debate Between President Trump And Democratic Candidate Joe Biden og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Watch the CNN Presidential Debate twitter:description: Details for how to tune in to the first 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on June 27, hosted by CNN. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4eae1110147f892e/698a57e909208f6c1641d463/GettyImages-1229229864.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Watch the CNN Presidential Debate > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b1df827d-5617-4e9b-95d2-d9e41baca5ee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Presidential Debates in History That Moved the Needle [Watch (HLS stream): Presidential Debates in History That Moved the Needle](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XLs3BJff.m3u8) (5:01)  _Published 2024-06-24. On Thursday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will meet on stage in Atlanta for the first of two presidential debates ahead of the November 2024 election. While their performance in the televised debates could influence the outcome, it wouldn’t be the first time in history that a presidential debate moved the needle in a close race._  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Jun 25, 2024 11:00 AM UTC  Donald Trump speaks as Joe Biden listens during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Donald Trump speaks as Joe Biden listens during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg—Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Jun 25, 2024 11:00 AM UTC Millions of viewers are set to tune in to the first presidential debate of the 2024 election on June 27, a rematch between [President Joe Biden](https://time.com/6984970/joe-biden-2024-interview/) and [former President Donald Trump](https://time.com/6972021/donald-trump-2024-election-interview/). The first debate is hosted by CNN, while the second in September will be hosted by ABC. Viewers can watch the firstdebate live on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, and CNN Max. It will be available to stream without a cable login on CNN.com. It is expected to run for 90 minutes. **Read More:** [_When Are the 2024 Presidential Debates?_](https://time.com/6978462/presidential-debates-2024-date-time/) The network has said it will also provide a feed of its production to other networks and digital outlets, the [LA _Times_](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2024-06-14/cnn-is-sharing-its-presidential-debate-but-there-are-strings-attached) reports, but will require competitors to adhere to a number of conditions—including adding the network’s on-screen logo and refraining from adding their own anchors and commentators during the breaks or any other portion of the broadcast. ### More from TIME Presidential debates are typically one of the most watched broadcasts of the year in the U.S. More than 73 million people watched the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden in September 2020\. Several new rules, which have already been approved by both candidates, will be introduced to prevent a repeat of the first presidential debate of the 2020 election, which largely veered off track. Microphones will be muted, and the candidates will meet on stage without a live audience for the first time. **Read More:** [_These Are the Rules of the CNN Presidential Debate_](https://time.com/6989767/presidential-debate-rules-cnn-2024/) The debate will also feature a pair of commercial breaks during the 90-minute broadcast, bucking a debate tradition in which advertisements were not permitted under the rules established by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which traditionally governsthe debates. “We’re going to look back at this debate and we'll see some good and some bad,” says Patrick Stewart, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas. “The good will be that the candidates can't game the system and turn it into a pro wrestling match. The bad part is we’ve commercialized the debates as opposed to serving the public good.” _—With reporting by Nik Popli/Washington_ ## Transcript Presidential debates have been a staple of campaigns for decades, and history has shown that they can have the power to sway undecided voters and solidify public perception of the candidates. The 1960 debate between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The first debate between Kennedy and Nixon is considered one of the most significant because it entrenched the idea that appearances are an important part of presidential campaigns. The debate is also considered the first nationally televised presidential debate in history. The best known narrative about the debate is that then Vice President Nixon lost the election because he looked old and tired during the debate. While Kennedy, then a senator from Massachusetts, wore makeup and appeared young and vibrant. People who watched the debate on television generally believe that Kennedy had won the debate. But those who listened to their speeches on the radio believe that Nixon had performed better. Now, some historians argue this explanation doesn't hold up because of different demographics between TV viewers and radio listeners. And we have very little empirical research to suggest that's why Kennedy won the election. The 1976 debate between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. After the Nixon Kennedy election, a long period passed without any general election debates until President Gerald Ford fell behind during the 1976 campaign and decided he needed to debate then Georgia governor Jimmy Carter. The debates are best remembered for a single moment during the Paris Second debate. There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration. Could I just pause? Did I understand you to say, sir that the Russians are not using Eastern Europe as their own sphere of influence and occupying? Historians argue that the moment was particularly damaging for Ford because of the media reporting after the debate, which contributed to the narrative that he was clumsy and not up for the presidency. The 1980 debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. For most of the 1980 campaign cycle, Jimmy Carter had been unwilling to debate Ronald Reagan, who was considered a master of visuals and humor. But Carter changed his mind about ten days before the election after realizing that he was trailing in the polls and needed a last minute pitch to undecided voters. Carter peppered his rhetoric with facts and policy, and Reagan countered with one line catch phrases. Are you better off than you were four years ago, Governor? There you go again. Experts argue that Reagan went on to win the election one week later, in part, because he came across as very confident and amiable in that debate. The 1992 debate between George H W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot. Unlike most other presidential debates where candidates respond to moderator questions, the second debate in 1992 was conducted in a more relaxed town hall format, suggested by Bill Clinton's campaign. The format was seen as benefiting Clinton, who voters thought seemed more likable than his opponents over the course of three debates. In one famous moment during the second debate, President Bush was caught on camera looking at his watch as a voter in Richmond, Virginia asked a question about the national debt, giving viewers the sense he was being passive or bored. The debates also introduced the public to third party candidate Ross Perot, who garnered almost 19% of the vote. Exit polls suggested that Perot took votes from Clinton and Bush about equally. The 2000 debate between George W Bush and Algore. The debates were particularly important in the 2000 election. Vice President Al Gore had been in high profile debates before, whereas Texas Governor George Bush was a relative newcomer known to stumble over his words. During the first debate, microphones caught Gore loudly sighing in response to Bush's answers. In the state of Texas. That's what a governor gets to do. At the third debate, Gore walked up to Bush as he was speaking, seemingly to intimidate him. Bush smirked and continued on, but the moment prompted the audience to laugh. Time wrote in 2000, the pundits and the Polls agreed. Gore had won the debate. Then he lost. Within a week, Bush had opened up a lead in several polls, as voters apparently decided they were tired of Professor Nodal. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will now meet on Stage in Atlanta on June 27 for the first of two presidential debates ahead of the November 2024 election, and they plan to meet again on September 10. And as history has shown their performance in the televised debates could influence the outcome of the election. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6989804/how-to-watch-presidential-debate-cnn/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6989804/how-to-watch-presidential-debate-cnn/"},"headline":"How to Watch the CNN Presidential Debate","datePublished":"2024-06-25T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:06:02.573Z","description":"Millions of viewers are set to tune in to tonight's debate","url":"https://time.com/6989804/how-to-watch-presidential-debate-cnn/","keywords":["elections","Explainer","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4eae1110147f892e/698a57e909208f6c1641d463/GettyImages-1229229864.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4eae1110147f892e/698a57e909208f6c1641d463/GettyImages-1229229864.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Final U.S. Presidential Debate Between President Trump And Democratic Candidate Joe Biden","caption":"Final U.S. Presidential Debate Between President Trump And Democratic Candidate Joe Biden","creditText":"Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/elections/","name":"elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6989804/how-to-watch-presidential-debate-cnn/","name":"How to Watch the CNN Presidential Debate"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Presidential Debates in History That Moved the Needle","description":"On Thursday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will meet on stage in Atlanta for the first of two presidential debates ahead of the November 2024 election. 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