Ahead of Final US Presidential Debate, New Rules Allow to Mute Microphones

Business Standard Ahead of final US Presidential debate, new rules allow to mute microphones

Under the new rules, Trump and Biden will each have two minutes of uninterrupted time to speak at the beginning of every 15-minute segment of the debate.

Ahead of the final US presidential debate, the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates has announced new rules under which it will mute microphones for two minutes of the rival speakers so as to give them uninterrupted opening remarks.

Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, 74, and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, 77, are slated to face their final debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee on October 22.

Under the new rules, Trump and Biden will each have two minutes of uninterrupted time to speak at the beginning of every 15-minute segment of the debate.

"The only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor under the rules," the commission said in a statement on Monday.

"For the balance of each segment, which by design is intended to be dedicated to open discussion, both candidates' microphones will be open," it said.

The commission said both campaigns have agreed to the two-minute, uninterrupted rule.

The decision to mute microphones comes after a chaotic first presidential debate that saw significant interruptions from both major party candidates, primarily from Trump.

The September 29 debate, moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, was widely criticised for its off-the-rails nature.