President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will square off in their second and final debate of the 2020 election cycle on Oct. 22. Watch it live at 8 p.m. in the player below.
The incumbent and his Democratic challenger will share the stage at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, in front of moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News. Thursday’s debate was meant to be the third and final of the election season, but the debate scheduled for Oct. 15 was canceled, after the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis prompted the Committee on Presidential Debates to make the debate virtual, and Trump refused to participate. Biden instead scheduled a town hall that night, and the president later scheduled his own town hall for the same time.
NPR is offering live updates and analysis in the module below.
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This 90-minute debate, starting at 8 p.m., will be split into six 15-minute segments, with no ad breaks. The topics as set by Welker are, in no particular order: Fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security, and leadership. The topics are subject to possible change due to news developments.
After a chaotic first debate, the CPD announced that they would be considering rules changes in order to “ensure a more orderly discussion.” On Monday night, it was announced that each candidate would have his microphone muted during the other’s opening two-minute response to each of the six debate topics. After initial answers, candidates will not have their microphones muted during open discussion, but interruptions like those that marred the first debate will count toward their time in the debate Thursday.
Debate night schedule
Tune in at 5 p.m. EDT to watch the NewsHour. Digital coverage starts at 6 p.m. with segments on key election issues.
At 7 p.m., senior political reporter Daniel Bush will host a debate pre-show featuring correspondents Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor reporting the latest on the candidates. He will also be talking to the NewsHour’s William Brangham about election security and University of Chicago history professor Destin Jenkins about race and the economy. Georgia Public Broadcasting producer Bill Nigut and South Florida public radio correspondent Tom Hudson will join to talk about their states, both of which are key battlegrounds in the presidential election where early voting is underway.
At 8 p.m. the debate kicks off, and NewsHour correspondents, producers and reporters will be live-tweeting to provide insights and analysis. When the debate ends around 9:30 p.m., stay tuned for continuing coverage and post-show analysis on air and online. Then at 10 p.m., correspondent Amna Nawaz will host a live, digital-only voter panel talking to voters about their reactions to the debate.