The two presidential contenders, Democrat Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, did not exchange a handshake as their televised first debate in the lead-up to the November 5 election began. The moment set a tense, watchful tone for a race that remains tightly contested across the country.
Biden was the first to enter, offering a friendly smile to the moderators as he made his way onto the stage. Trump followed, appearing markedly more serious and not meeting his rival’s gaze. As laid out beforehand, Biden took his place at the podium on the right side of the screen, while Trump positioned himself on the left. The visual cue reflected a traditional, almost ceremonial balance to the evening, underscoring the ritual of a presidential contest under bright studio lights.
The face-to-face confrontation took place inside CNN’s studio complex in Atlanta, Georgia. The debate lasted ninety minutes and was held without an audience, a choice that emphasized policy discussion over crowd energy. The moment carried extra weight because both candidates were closely matched in current polls, meaning any misstep or viral moment could sway significant portions of undecided voters.
This debate stands out as the earliest in recent memory, coming before the formal start of the campaign. Yet both campaigns are aggressively chasing early voters, with several states beginning their vote-by-mail or early-in-person processes as soon as September. It also marks a historical note: it is the first time a sitting president and a former president share a televised stage in the same election year. Additionally, the broadcast arrangement marks CNN’s ownership of the event, rather than a longstanding nonpartisan commission structure. In decades past, presidential debates were often organized by a separate debates commission, but this program represents a shift toward a network-driven production in this particular year.
Biden and Trump have already shared the stage in two tightly watched debates during the 2020 election, characterized by frequent interruptions and rapid-fire exchanges. For this meeting, the organizers and the candidates agreed on a format change designed to curb interruptions: only the microphone of the speaker with the floor is kept live, minimizing cross-talk and giving each candidate a clearer opportunity to present their argument. Both camps have committed to another debate slated for September on ABC News, reinforcing the idea that voters will have multiple chances to compare policy positions and leadership approach as the campaign intensifies.