Presidential debate commission chairman slams CNN over upcoming debate setup

A co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) criticized CNN on Wednesday over its debate format, which includes some major changes to the event's traditional layout.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to take the stage in Atlanta on Thursday night, for the first presidential debate of the current election cycle. 

CNN has revealed multiple changes to the debate setup, including two commercial breaks, each candidate getting two minutes to respond to each question, and the lack of a live audience.

“I’m trying to be fair, I’m not judging yet, I want to watch and see," CPD co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf told The Hill's Evening Report. "We developed a format that really works. If they came up with a format that gives the American people a solid view of the candidates, that’s great.”

Fahrenkopf, who has overseen 33 presidential and vice presidential debates, claimed that CNN's debate sounds more like an interview because of how long the candidates have to respond. He also criticized the decision to block audiences from watching the debate in person, claiming previous presidential debates did not have rowdy crowds. 

“It’s almost like an interview the way they’re doing it, but this is supposed to be a debate between the two candidates," Fahrenkopf said.  “They’re saying there shouldn’t be an audience because people clap and cheer and scream, but that’s not true. That happens at primary debates, not presidential debates. That’s a phony thing the Biden people came up with.”

The CPD co-chair also attacked CNN over a possible conflict of interest regarding its post-debate coverage.

“How will the talking heads on CNN do a fair analysis after they sponsored it? It’s a real challenge,” he said.

In addition to the format changes, this year is also the first time in over 30 years that news outlets are operating the presidential debates completely. News anchors and reporters have moderated debates in the past, but the commission oversaw the event.

ABC News will host the second presidential debate, which will take place in September. The CPD previously announced three of its own debates, which will occur later in the year, but neither Trump nor Biden have committed to the commission's debates so far. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.