Daily US Times: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump will forgo a handshake at their first presidential debate on Tuesday, one of several ways Covid-19 has impacted the way the presidential candidates’ first face-to-face showdown will play out.
A senior adviser for the Commission on Presidential Debates, Peter Eyre, said the candidates also won’t exchange handshakes with the moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News. The three man will not wear mask once on stage in Cleveland, Ohio.
The audience size will be limited compared to previous debates, and everyone attending the debate at Case Western Reserve University will undergo Covid-19 testing and follow other health safety protocols.
Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is conducting the event, told that the average in-person audience for a debate is around 900 people, with up to as many as 1,200 depending on the venue size. But he estimated 60 to 70 audience members would be seated in the debate hall Tuesday night.
A White House official confirmed both first lady Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump will be in attendance at the debate.
As they prepare to face off for the first time, Trump and Biden will each stand at podiums on stage — the President on the right side of the stage looking at the audience and the former vice president on the left. Host Chris Wallace will be seated at a desk facing the two candidates.
The candidates will not have opening statements, and Trump will receive the first question from the moderator. The 90-minute debate will focus on six topics — “The Supreme Court,” “Covid-19,” ”The Trump and Biden Records,” “The Economy,” “Race and Violence in our Cities” and “The Integrity of the Election.”
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