Commission to mute microphones in next presidential debate

US President Donald Trump (L) and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden speak during the first presidential debate at the Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio on September 29, 2020. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

by: Michael Geheren

Posted: Oct 19, 2020 / 10:00 PM AST

Updated: Oct 19, 2020 / 08:54 PM AST

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WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) – The Commission on Presidential Debates has adopted new rules to mute microphones to allow President Donald Trump and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden 2 minutes of uninterrupted time per segment.

President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will have their microphones cut off in Thursday’s debate while their rival delivers their opening two-minute answer to each of the debate topics.

The 90-minute debate is divided into six 15-minute segments, with each candidate granted two minutes to deliver uninterrupted remarks before proceeding to an open debate. The open discussion portion of the debate will not feature a mute button, but interruptions by either candidate will count toward their time in the second and final debate Thursday.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the rule changes Monday, three weeks after the opening faceoff between the two presidential contenders that featured frequent interruptions — most by President Trump.

In a statement, the commission said it “had determined that it is appropriate to adopt measures intended to promote adherence to agreed upon rules and inappropriate to make changes to those rules.”

President Trump’s campaign manager issued a statement saying he will still attend the debate. Biden’s campaign hasn’t yet released a statement.

Full Trump Campaign Statement

“President Trump is committed to debating Joe Biden regardless of last minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide advantage to their favored candidate. This was supposed to be the foreign policy debate, so the President still looks forward to forcing Biden to answer the number one relevant question of whether he’s been compromised by the Communist Party of China. Why did Biden allow his son Hunter to sell access to him while he was vice president, and why were there Chinese payment arrangements for Joe himself worked out by Hunter and his sketchy partners? If the media won’t ask Joe Biden these questions, the President will, and there will be no escape for Biden.”
Bill Stepien, Trump 2020 campaign manager

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.