WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2020) The Commission on Presidential Debates has decided to mute the microphones of US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden for parts of the upcoming debate in Nashville.
"Under the agreed upon debate rules, each candidate is to have two minutes of uninterrupted time to make remarks at the beginning of each 15 minute segment of the debate. These remarks are to be followed by a period of open discussion. ... 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 Commission on Presidential Debates said in a Monday statement.
The third - and last - debate between Trump and Biden is scheduled to take place in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday. The second round was cancelled as Trump had contracted COVID-19 but refused to debate Biden virtually.
"We realize, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign may be totally satisfied with the measures announced today. 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 who these debates are held," the debates commission said on Monday.
In the first presidential debate, held on September 30, there were a lot of interruptions by both Trump and Biden. According to the debates commission, a change of rules for the last round of debates was made in order to ensure a more orderly discussion.
The Axios news portal reported on Sunday that Trump's advisers had told him not to interrupt Biden in the last debate round as they believed Biden would wander rhetorically and "look doddering" if the president allows him to speak.
