CNN Touts Debate Rules; Muted Mics at Biden’s Request

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the second
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Hannah Knudsen

CNN is touting the rules for Thursday night’s debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, showing how the microphones will work, with one candidate’s mic muted as the other is speaking, per Biden’s direct request.

CNN had a segment on Wednesday showcasing how the microphones will work during the debate. Each candidate has two green lights, and when they are on, it signals to the candidate that his microphone is on and ready to go. When they are off, the microphone is off.

CNN demonstrated what it will look like when one candidate tries to talk over the other, making the interruptions of the other “difficult to understand.”

The New York Times revealed that the muted mics were “another Biden request, intended to guard against Mr. Trump’s penchant for interrupting and speaking over debate opponents.”

That is not the only Biden request. As was previously reported, there will be no live audience at this debate. This is also a request from the Biden campaign, as it made it clear the 81-year-old is not interested in dealing with reactions from a live audience.

The campaign detailed this demand in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, in which it provided notice that it would not participate in commission debates. However, it explained its reasoning behind no audiences in that letter.

It read in part:

The debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home – not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors, who consume valuable debate time with noisy spectacles of approval or jeering.

As was the case with the original televised debates in 1960, a television studio with just the candidates and moderators is a better, more cost-effective way to proceed: focused solely on the interests of voters.

Indeed, the Times also confirmed that the Biden campaign demanded no audience for this network debate as well.

“This was a demand from the Biden campaign, most likely based on a recognition that Mr. Trump tends to play to and feed off supportive crowds,” the Times reported.

This further feeds into the suspicion that the cards are already stacked against Trump, coming in addition to the fact that the co-moderators are known Trump critics. Both Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have shown open bias toward Trump in the past.

Breitbart News provided examples for both Tapper and Bash:

Below are 15 times Tapper attacked Trump with vicious claims:

  1. Suggested Trump was a nightmare: “For tens of millions of our fellow Americans, their long national nightmare is over.”
  2. Claimed Trump “continues to lie to the American people” about coronavirus testing.
  3. Retweeted a post that called Trump “100% insane.”
  4. Shamed Trump upon being hospitalized for the coronavirus.
  5. Described Trump’s presidency as a “disaster.”
  6. Ran a segment about the alleged shape of Trump’s penis.
  7. Questioned the 2016 election by perpetrating the Russia collusion hoax.
  8. Suggested Trump tried to kill democracy.
  9. Ordered CNN’s control room not to cover Trump live.
  10. Claimed Trump was a “rather angry defendant, saying there’s no case here.”
  11. Refused to cover Trump live due to “potentially dangerous” content.
  12. Suggested Trump was leading the nation “down the drain.”
  13. Accused Trump of siding with Russia during Russia collusion hoax.
  14. Said Trump “sided with the enemy” amid Democrat claims of a stolen 2016 election.
  15. Ordered Trump to “stop whining” after winning the 2016 election.

…

Below are 15 times Bash attacked Trump with nasty claims.

  1. Accused Trump of “race baiting.”
  2. Suggested Trump is sexist.
  3. Claimed Trump made antisemitic remarks.
  4. Alleged former Vice President Mike Pence’s life was threatened by January 6 rioters provoked by Trump.
  5. Said Trump’s coronavirus briefing was “propaganda” after he contradicted his CDC director.
  6. Accused Trump of being anti-science.
  7. Alleged Trump politicized the pandemic for political benefit.
  8. Said it was “unfortunately for America” that the Supreme Court decided to keep Trump on the ballot.
  9. Claimed Joe Biden “found his voice” after he attacked Trump’s remarks on George Floyd’s death.
  10. Pushed the Russia collusion hoax.
  11. Suggested Trump was unpresidential during his tenure.
  12. Described Trump’s firing of James Comey as like a scene from “The Godfather.”
  13. Accused Trump of “outright lies.”
  14. Said Trump appeared to use racist language against Sen. Mitch McConnell’s wife.
  15. Suggested Trump should say “sorry” for his alleged role in January 6.

That coincides with the fact that CNN’s Kasie Hunt this week cut off the mic of Trump campaign national secretary Karoline Leavitt for highlighting the bias of Tapper ahead of the debate.

The debate kicks off at 9 p.m. Eastern.

According to reports, Biden will appear on the right side of the screen after winning a coin toss, but Trump will get the final closing remarks.

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