Final Trump-Biden 2020 Presidential Election Debate: What To Know

NASHVILLE, TN — President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are set to face off one last time before the Nov. 3 general election.

The debate will be held Thursday at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and will start at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

During Thursday’s debate, the candidates will face off on six topics chosen by the debate moderator: "Fighting COVID-19,” "American Families,” "Race in America," "Climate Change," "National Security" and "Leadership."

The 90-minute debate, hosted by NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker, will be similar in format to the first presidential debate, which will be divided into six 15-minute segments, according to the Washington Post.

This debate, however, will include a key difference:

The opposing candidate’s microphone will be muted when the other gives a two-minute opening statement at the beginning of each of the topics to be debated during the debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday.

Welker won’t have a mute button, as had been speculated, and both candidates’ microphones will be on during the “open discussion” portion of the debate.

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In the first 2020 presidential debate in Cleveland, Trump constantly interrupted not only Biden but also moderator Chris Wallace, leading Biden to say to the president, “Will you shut up, man?” and Trump to tell Wallace that it seemed the debate was Trump versus Biden and Wallace.

Trump trails Biden in national polls by nearly 9 points, according to a RealClear Politics national polling average, but that doesn’t guarantee Biden will win. In 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led in most polls leading up to the election and won the popular vote but lost to Trump in the Electoral College voting.

Both candidates are focusing on key battleground states that could decide the election. Several states Trump won in 2016 are now either leaning toward Biden or considered a toss-up, according to CNN’s pre-election ratings.

How To Watch

The debate will air live on major news networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, Fox Business, C-SPAN, MSNBC and CNN. C-SPAN has already provided a live link on its YouTube channel for the debate.

Here's where the candidates stand on the issues, in their own words.

Crime & Justice

Domestic Policy

Economy

Education

Elections

Environment

Foreign Policy

Healthcare

Immigration

LGBTQ+

Related: Road Closures Take Effect Wednesday In Preparation For Presidential Debate At Belmont University