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Backstage Before the CNN Presidential Debate
CNN One Thing
Jun 26, 2024
On Thursday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will debate each other live on CNN, the earliest general election debate in US history. The debate is being held at a CNN studio in the key swing state of Georgia, which helped deliver the presidency to Biden in 2020. In this episode, we go inside the debate studio to preview the event and hear from Atlanta-area voters about what they want to hear from the candidates (if they'll even be watching).
Guest: David Chalian, CNN Political Director
Episode Transcript
David Rind
00:00:01
We're in the elevator, heading down to the studio of the very first televised general election presidential debate was in 1960, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon. It was held in the TV studio. No audience, just cameras, the candidates and moderators. Of course, that changed over the years. They became much larger affairs put on by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, usually held at a university auditorium or an arena with a full audience looking on, going down. That's why it was so striking when President Joe Biden came out earlier this year and said, the only way out debate former President Donald Trump, is if we go back to the old way, just us in a room with the moderators.
David Rind (nats)
00:00:46
All right, here we go. There we go.
David Rind
00:00:50
And that is how I found myself in Atlanta, Georgia, last night, about to head into the very studio where this debate is going to play out on Thursday Night Live on CNN, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. These two men have debated before, but we've never seen a debate quite like this and never this early in the calendar. So what exactly are we in for here? So when they say behind the scenes, this is literally behind the scenes. Today, CNN political director David Chalian is going to go backstage with us to explain how this is all going to work. And crucial swing state voters in Georgia will tell us if they'll even be paying attention from CNN. This is one thing. I'm David Rind. All right. So we're walking up a ramp that's a stage left. So this is our first view of the stage in the room where this is going to happen. And I can see the two podiums right in the middle of the stage, the big CNN presidential debate banner behind it, and the moderators desk, which is directly in front of these podiums, very few cameras floating above and otherwise just a dark TV studio. Well, so now that we have that view. Let's go talk to David Chalian, our political director, and he can tell us exactly how this thing is going to go. David, can you describe where we're standing right now?
David Chalian
00:02:40
Well, we're actually standing in a pretty unique spot because it's a part of backstage of the debate where this particular side of the stage is where President Biden is going to be preparing to walk out on stage. And the other thing that's unique about the spot that you and I are standing in right now, yeah, is that there will be no campaign staff with him or with President Trump, just the stage, just the candidate at this point. Their staff stay back in their green rooms when they are in this moment. It is a solo event for them, and they will walk out on stage and begin this 90 minute debate, and the.
David Rind
00:03:16
Debate will begin. So walk me through the ground rules. How's this going to work?
David Chalian
00:03:20
Well, the ground rules that both candidates agreed to and accepted as part of accepting the invitation to debate are that, like I said, it's a 90 minute debate. And the way it works is there will be a topic that is introduced. The first candidate to get that question will have two minutes to respond to that question. His opponent will have a minute to respond to that, and then the original person answering the question gets a minute for rebuttal. Okay, okay. In addition, at moderator's discretion, Jake or Dana could come in with a follow up for an additional minute. Right. And then it switches the candidate who didn't get the starter question last time gets the starter question now two minutes, one minute response, one minute rebuttal. So that's sort of the nature of the debate. And hopefully what that does is allow for the issues that are of most important to American voters to get a full airing of these two different visions that these men are presenting.
David Rind
00:04:15
Tell me about the microphones, because the first time these two debated last cycle was a bit of a shouting match. So as we think that's going to be different this time around.
David Chalian
00:04:24
Well, certainly it'll be different in a couple of respects. One, there's no studio audience. So this is just, former President Trump, President Biden and the two moderators in the room, basically. And to your point about the microphones, part of the rules are that the designated speaker's microphone is on during their designated speaking time. Okay. And his opponent's microphone is off. All right.
David Rind
00:04:49
This is a live podcast.
David Chalian
00:04:50
And yeah, they're wrapping rehearsal if you just heard that. Sorry. So what happens with the microphones is that the designated speaker's microphone is on. The opponent's microphone is off. Now, the reality is they're pretty close to each other on the stage. There is the possibility that even though their microphone is off and they're shouting or interrupting at the person who's speaking is going to get picked up on the other microphone, probably not intelligibly. So I think it's very difficult for the viewer at home to actually hear what that person is saying. So, that is a different dynamic, because the goal there is, is that the dominant audio with the viewer will be hearing at home. Is the designated speaker making their point at their designated time to do so?
David Rind
00:05:38
So beyond all those technical details, just can you put this in perspective how this debate, you know, stacks up against all the other ones we've seen? Well, presidential elections.
David Chalian
00:05:49
Well, let's start with a couple of things, because it's unprecedented on many levels. But let's start with the historic nature of a sitting president of the United States, debating a former president of the United States. That has never happened before, right there in this rematch of Biden versus Trump. And so that one is what brings us to this moment. It is also the earliest general election debate ever. It's June, the campaign year. It's June. We usually see debates in the fall. That's by design. I think in terms of the Biden campaign was certainly interested in an earlier debate, in part because I think they see, a target universe of voters that they're trying to reach who aren't engaged in this election. They keep saying they don't think a lot of the voters that they need to communicate with are tuned into this election and.
David Rind
00:06:38
Understand this might wake them up like, this is so.
David Chalian
00:06:40
Yeah, it's sort of like grabbing them by the lapels and saying, this is your choice, America. And it's time to tune in to this election. I will say, you know, the Biden folks believe that getting the president on stage with the former president is a contrast. Literally, visually, to put on display to voters will benefit them. But the Trump campaign believes being on stage with Biden benefits them. They feel that that contrast served them really well in the way that they complain about, Biden having a lack of energy or his age or the like. They think Trump looks sharper side by side, and they like that contrast as well.
David Rind
00:07:15
So be on the images like you're the political director here at CNN. So what topics do you think are going to loom large here?
David Chalian
00:07:24
Well, listen, I would never talk about the content of the debate before the debate, but, this is going to be a debate. About the issues that are most important to the American people. We see time and again in every survey what those issues are and what we want to make sure that we do here. Our role here is to facilitate to moderate a debate between these two candidates, not for Jake and Dana to become participants in that debate, but to make sure that President Biden and former President Trump have the ability, have the time and space to get their visions out to the American people on these issues that are top of mind for them.
David Rind
00:08:01
And to the point, you know, this is a matchup we've seen before, and a lot of people have opinions about both of these guys at this point. Is it debate? Can it change people's minds, get them from one candidate to the other at this point?
David Chalian
00:08:17
That's a good question. We'll find out is the real answer. I don't I don't know if it will, but I know this this race has been remarkably stable. Yeah. For almost its entirety. I mean, you go back to polling from last fall or last summer, it looks pretty similar to the polling that we see today in terms of the closeness between these two candidates. Yes, it's a rematch between two candidates, David, but it is a totally different context. Think about everything that's happened in the four years since these two men last debated. A lot has happened. And so they meet each other in an entirely new context this time around. So while it's a rematch of these specific candidates, they're different. This is a different issue terrain and a different context for American voters that they're bringing to this election.
David Rind
00:09:01
Well, David Chang, you'll be covering it all on CNN political briefing later this week. We'll catch you there. Thanks so much.
David Chalian
00:09:06
Thank you.
David Rind
00:09:10
'We'll be right back. Before the break, I asked David Chalian the question. Will this debate actually change anyone's minds? I realize, though, this is a question probably best answered by the people actually doing the voting. So on Monday afternoon, my producer, an Atlanta resident, Grace, and I, headed out to talk to some of them. So let's try by, under this shade, we found ourselves right outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the big football stadium in downtown Atlanta. It is like, a spaceship. But even more so, I guess, is how I would describe the look of this, stadium. And next to it, there are a series of, grass, athletic fields and, volleyball nets and soccer goals. And we're going to see if anybody wants to talk to us. People were playing pickup volleyball and soccer in the blazing sun. It was 95 degrees with a nice hot, gusty wind blowing. Really pleasant stuff. Well, we're just we're just asking some questions about, the presidential debate in town this week. Do you guys have any thoughts about that? And some of the people we talked to weren't even aware that a debate was happening on Thursday. Remember, the Copa America tournament is underway and there's a big game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium the very same night of the debate.
David Rind (nats)
00:10:57
Yeah, you guys are more interested in the soccer than the politics.
People
00:11:00
Yes.
David Rind
00:11:01
Okay. Will you be watching?
Bradley
00:11:03
Probably not, no
David Rind (nats)
00:11:05
Bradley is a political science PhD student at Emory University. But even he didn't seem interested.
Bradley
00:11:11
I don't think I don't think anything new is going to come up. Right. Like, are they going to announce a brand new policy position to donate towards it, and a chance for their speechwriters to really, like, practice their one liners? If you're a speechwriter, it's a good exercise to listen to. But, maybe not sure.
David Rind
00:11:26
I think it's more theatrics than anything substantive. Yeah. Bradley says he did vote for President Biden in 2020, but like so many other Democrats, he isn't exactly rushing back to the ballot box to vote for him again.
David Rind
00:11:38
So have you been satisfied with the last four years him in office?
Bradley
00:11:45
It depends on what policy positions you're concerned about.
Emma
00:11:48
I wish we had somebody who is alittle bit on the younger side. Really a little bit more to my age group.
David Rind
00:11:53
But Emma feels similarly. She's a nurse who says having another Biden Trump matchup makes her nervous. But she also still plans to vote for Biden, despite her reservations.
Man
00:12:04
I just think Trump just I think Trump is going for I think I think at different demographic.
David Rind
00:12:10
Meanwhile, as the former president looks to make inroads among black voters, one man told us that he feels like Trump is in the best position to win. And he pointed to specific ways that Trump is trying to boost support within the black community.
Man
00:12:24
He's definitely been with a lot of rappers. I know, you see, he's been in, Philly where some some rapper, he's been in New York. We know he's trying to get different. He's trying to get the black demographic. I think you go from.
David Rind
00:12:36
Of course, the black community or any community for that matter, is not a monolith. And not everyone takes their political cues from celebrities. But regardless of the reason, recent polls do show that some black men are more open to supporting the Republican nominee than in the past. And remember, President Biden won Georgia in 2020 by just 11,779 votes. He can't afford to lose many of his coalition in this crucial swing state this time around, either to apathy or to anger over perceived economic struggles or U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza. But at the same time, the campaign is actually hoping to capitalize on anger to mobilize their base anger over abortion access. So we went to a place that is on the frontlines of that issue, one of just 13 abortion clinics left in the state of Georgia.
Tiffany Robinson
00:13:32
Welcome to our training here today.
David Rind
00:13:35
'Feminist Women's Health Center is about 25 minutes north of downtown Atlanta, tucked away in an average looking brown brick building off of I-85. They offer all kinds of services wellness exams, birth control, gender affirming care and abortions, which are currently banned after six weeks of pregnancy under Georgia law. And in a small downstairs room, six women were being trained on how to be clinic escorts and how to deal with the inevitable.
Tiffany Robinson
00:14:03
'Anti-abortion activists never, never, never play security with it. Our safety comes first.
David Rind
00:14:10
We hear Tiffany Robinson, the clinic's leadership development manager, walk them through the ins and outs of the job.
Tiffany Robinson
00:14:16
The role is to assist our patients and guide them to check in and security escort to make each patient feel safe in. As they care.
David Rind
00:14:25
This clinic has hired security guards. Not all clinics do. So the only thing the escorts have to do is meet the patient at their car and walk them to the check in counter.
Tiffany Robinson
00:14:39
They're willing to close this. But sometimes you have little snakes and rodents out here. Yeah, we just found a cute orange snake out here. Yeah, it wasn't that cute, but it was scary.
David Rind
00:14:56
The entrance to the clinic is on top of a pretty steep hill. At the bottom of this hill, at the entrance to the parking lot. There was an orange cone marking a line on the concrete.
Tiffany Robinson
00:15:06
Never cross that. It's the orange line that's drawn. That's where they stand. They're not supposed to come across and you don't go across. Okay. Everyone come in. That hill is no joke. Yeah.
David Rind
00:15:24
Inside the clinic. Tiffany took the group to see every part of the process. A patient would go through when they come in for an abortion.
Tiffany Robinson
00:15:31
So this is our main. Or we only have. We have two, but we only utilize one right now.
David Rind
00:15:37
In the operating room. Tiffany pointed to the ceiling. She says she had painted colorful butterflies right above the operating table, so patients wouldn't be staring up at a blank wall before they're about to undergo the procedure. She said model Chrissy Teigen had noticed them during a recent tour of the clinic, and had mentioned it at a white House event with Vice President Kamala Harris just last week.
Tiffany Robinson
00:15:59
I talked about these butterflies just at the white House, and I put these up, so I was proud when they talked them, and then I was like, oh, look at those butterflies up there. In the interview.
David Rind
00:16:09
The timing of our visit was notable. We were there two years to the day since the Supreme Court issued what's become known as the Dobbs ruling, which overturned Roe versus Wade. Feminist Women's Health says they currently see about 78 abortion patients a week, which is about half of what they used to see before Georgia's six week ban was allowed by courts to go into effect. And in the two years since Dobbs, we've heard so much about how this issue of abortion rights has energized Democrats above all other issues, how people have turned out to make sure those rights are protected in their state when it's been on the ballot. Question is, though, will they do the same thing this year with a historically unpopular Democrat at the top of the ticket?
Tiffany Robinson
00:16:52
And Kate is ready.
Kate Morgan
00:16:54
I'm ready.
David Rind
00:16:55
Well, one of the volunteers who came out to Feminist Women's Health was willing to talk to me about that.
Kate Morgan
00:17:03
I'm Kate Morgan and I live in Gwinnett County.
David Rind
00:17:07
You know, when it comes to, you know, elections. Is there one political party you associated with?
Kate Morgan
00:17:12
I am actually a recent Democrat within the last few years.
David Rind
00:17:14
What brought you over.
Kate Morgan
00:17:16
Dobbs. I got really sick after I had to get my IUD switched out two years early. I survived a rape when I was 19 years old and a stalker year later. Duchenne muscular dystrophy runs in my family. If I were to get pregnant, I would likely be permanently disabled and would rather take my own life.
David Rind
00:17:31
So reproductive rights.
Kate Morgan
00:17:32
Reproductive rights, LGBT rights. I'm like, by I mean, yeah, the economy sucks, but I think it just says what it is.
David Rind
00:17:41
The economy stinks. In your view. Do you blame President Biden for that?
Kate Morgan
00:17:46
I mean, I think there's a little bit of blame, but I'm mostly blame the corporations. I think corporate greed. I think some of these employers out here are just wild. I'm looking for a new job right now. What I'm telling you right now, some of the jobs I've applied for are looked at there. Like, even with a degree, it's like, I want you to have a degree at all stuff. But their pay is like nothing. It's not enough to survive off of.
David Rind
00:18:06
The presidential matchup in general. Biden and Trump again, same month, four years later. How do you feel about having the same choices?
Kate Morgan
00:18:14
I just can't believe Trump's allowed to run. I mean, I'm not thrilled, but I'll vote for Biden. I mean, you I mean, I voted third party for years, and I regret it because, yeah, that was no good.
David Rind
00:18:30
And you said since Dobbs, since 2022, you've been aligned with the Democrats because of the reproductive rights.
Kate Morgan
00:18:37
I mean, there are other things too, but that's basically what got me over the LGBT stuff. Whenever I see anyone trying to ban things, it's just really it's a red flag, and it's the fact that people are more concerned and more vocal is horrifying to me.
David Rind
00:18:53
Do you know, a lot of people that are motivated solely by this issue that are planning to vote for Biden?
Kate Morgan
00:19:03
I know quite a few people who are I've heard I've had some people tell me that they're not and that they're still not voting for Biden.
David Rind
00:19:09
That it's not enough of a.
Kate Morgan
00:19:10
Draw. I'll be honest, these are people I talked to months ago that could have changed. I hope it changed. I gave the platonic vote your conscience, but real in reality. I want to tell them, you know, get your head out of your butt. But I think it's, it's going to play a part, but I think people are just not man enough. People are not taking this seriously.
David Rind
00:19:32
Why do you why do you think that is.
Kate Morgan
00:19:34
Well I mean we've been spoiled in this country we haven't had to fight for. I mean, we've had to fight for certain things, I mean, in LGBT rights. But I mean, for my generation, I'm a millennial. We haven't really had to see the suffering caused by abortion bans. And a lot of the other laws that they want to repeal.
David Rind
00:19:52
There's a debate on Thursday night between Biden and Trump. Were you aware.
Kate Morgan
00:19:56
Oh I got sucked into going to a watch party.
David Rind
00:19:59
Oh so you're going to be watching.
Kate Morgan
00:20:00
Yes. Sadly.
David Rind
00:20:01
Okay. I'm what I will. I'm wondering because you mentioned that there's some people the interviewer are not angry enough. Do you think something like a debate would get them to that?
Kate Morgan
00:20:12
I just think some people are just I don't want to say stupid, but just ignorant. I mean, I'll be honest, I kept up with politics some, but not as much as I probably should have. And it's hard when you have things like work, school. I don't have kids, but I like people with kids, you know, you're tired. The last thing you do is see two old white guys yelling at each other and being ridiculous, but hopefully they will. I think a lot of people I don't know that many people are going to tune in to the election or not to the election season, the debate. But I'm cautiously optimistic. But it does worry me that Biden isn't leading by a bigger margin.
David Rind
00:20:51
Well, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Before we go, I know November feels really far off, but if you're wondering about things like voter registration, deadlines, voting by mail, early voting. CNN has compiled all that information for you in one place, state by state. Just check out cnn.com/vote, again. That's CNN.com/vote. And remember you can watch the CNN presidential debate Thursday night at 9 p.m. on CNN. Of course. And we'll be back here on Friday morning with a special episode to break down everything that happened. So make sure you're following the show wherever you listen.
David Rind
00:21:41
One Thing is a production of CNN audio. This episode was produced by Grace Walker, Paola Ortiz and me, David Rind. Our senior producer is Faiz Jamil. Our supervising producer is Greg Peppers. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director. And Steve Lickteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio. We get support from Haley Thomas, Alex Mansory, Robert Mathers, John Dianora, Leni Steinhart, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to Alexa Bennetts, Emily Kuhn, yland Rose Geerlings, Anna Jager, Mark Preston, Matt Abshire, Lacey Russell, Nader Nikoupour, Claudia Morales, Lacey Russell, Carma Hassan, and Katie Hinman. Like I said, we'll be back on Friday. I'll talk to you then.
