Re: US election 2020: Guide to the Trump v Biden presidential debates
Going into the debate, who's ahead in national polls?
DEMOCRAT BIDEN 50%
REPUBLICAN TRUMP 43%
The candidates will do away with the customary handshake when they meet on stage due to the pandemic. An elbow tap was considered, but both campaigns said it would be too awkward, according to Politico.
Trump, Biden and debate moderator Chris Wallace will not be required to wear masks once they take the stage. However, there is a chance that Biden - who has curtailed campaign travel due to the pandemic - may emerge wearing a mask as a visual comparison to Trump, who has downplayed the virus' danger.
Two universities - in Indiana and Michigan - cancelled their plans to host debates over virus concerns.
The audience at the new host - an Ohio university - has been limited to about 70 people who will be tested for Covid-19 beforehand and must wear masks. Typical in-person debate audiences usually reach around 900 people, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Also gone is the normally crowded “spin room”, where campaign representatives give break-out news conferences to scrums of journalists where they make their case for why their candidate won the debate.
The sparse, controlled setting may not suit "rabble-rouser" Trump .....